Tampa Bay's interest in Darrelle Revis was not something that came about overnight. The team has had a longtime admiration of the cornerback that gave them fits over the years. They were very familiar with his aggressive style of play and the unique skill set that he could bring to a defensive unit. They viewed him as a game changer. However, the team could never figure out how to get Revis to play for them, until he went down with an injury.
Revis tore his ACL in September and was forced to miss the rest of the 2012 season after having surgery to repair the ligament. Buccaneers' general manager Mark Dominik recognized the injury as a great opportunity for the team. He knew the second Revis went down that New York could possibly be interested in a trade if presented with the right deal.
"Quite frankly, it started when he blew out his knee. I actually went into our director of player personnel Dennis Hickey's office and I said, 'That could be a reason why he could leave the Jets.' Because I knew what his contract situation was, and so when he hurt his knee, I thought, 'That's going to be an out possibility'."
Tampa Bay was right and they were able to pull off a blockbuster trade prior to the draft to land the Pro Bowl cornerback. Despite the injury, Dominik still believes Revis will return to his All-Pro form by the time the season starts. He notes that he is still the No. 1 cornerback in the NFL and is making big strides in his recovery to be on the field for Week One.
Revis will be part of a two-part series that will air on the NFL Network where he goes into detail about his recovery. Revis knows that the when he steps on the field for the first time, he will be ready and healthy. That first step will likely come against his former team as the Bucs face the New York Jets for their first game. Revis is not concerned with who the team is playing.
"I call it just getting ready for Week 1. It doesn't matter if it's the Jets, the Bills, it doesn't matter who it is. We got to go out there and play as a team and win," Revis said.
Revis' recovery is right on schedule. He can now cut and change directions. He is running and lifting weights. All that is left is getting on the field and reading and reacting to an opponent. Revis will continue his rehab through June and start football training in July.
