Back in January, Darrelle Revis was all like, “Randy Moss is a slouch.”

Then Randy Moss was all like, “He can say whatever he wants to, but we’re coming to burn house this Sunday.”

And now Revis is all like:

“If that’s what he said, I guess that’s what he’s been preparing for all offseason,” Revis said. “He said it with a laugh, but it’s been on his mind for the whole offseason. Randy speaks the truth. He speaks how he feels. Obviously, if he said that, it was on his mind in the offseason.

“I called him a slouch because I felt he played like a slouch (in the first game). They tried to come after me in the second game. He wasn’t a slouch in the second game, (but) . . . if I said it in January, whenever I said it, you guys know I said it. That’s how I felt at that particular time.”

Whatever. If you really care about the full story, then the Boston Herald has the whole thing here. But if Mark Sanchez can’t figure out how to throw a ball further than three and a half yards, then it won’t matter who wins the Revis v. Moss matchup. It’ll be irrelevant.

Last year, Rex Ryan and the Jets were refreshing (uh, to non-Patriot and non-Giant fans). This year, the media has taken even more of a liking to them and they’re starting to become annoying. And if they continue to lose, then all of their “Hard Knocks” fans are going to start throwing metaphorical stones at them, too.

This is a big game for the Jets. Even if Revis and the defense shuts down Moss and Tom Brady, Sanchez is still going to have to make plays at some point – especially if New England takes away the Jets’ run game.

How Sanchez performs is the true storyline here, although what Moss and Revis say to each other through the media will continue to get most of the attention, I’m sure.

It took roughly 35 days for Darrelle Revis to settle his contract dispute with the Jets.

Thirty-five long days.

The details have been announced and the terms of the deal are that Revis will receive a four-year contract worth $46 million and he’ll also get $32 million guaranteed.

Here’s why it works for all parties:

Revis: He’s not going to make as much as Nnamdi Asomugha on a per-year basis, nor will he be able to call himself the highest paid cornerback in the NFL (two things that were apparently important to him when the process started). However, he’s going to walk away from this deal with $36 million in guaranteed money, so at the end of the day who gives a flying Rex Ryan about being the top paid corner? Thirty-six million guaranteed is $36 million guaranteed. Plus, he skipped all of training camp (which is the time of year players absolutely hate) and shows up just in time to play in the Jets’ opener next Monday night.

Jets: They were never going to pay Revis what he was asking for, but considering they were able to hang onto their best defender and sign him to a deal that allows them to sign other players is what the Jets wanted for themselves all along. Obviously if he continued to hold out then they wouldn’t be out anything financially, but it would have come at the price of losing their top defensive player. The Jets believe that they’re a Super Bowl contender and if they are going to accomplish their goals, then they need Revis locking down one side of the field.

Rex Ryan: Had Revis held out for even a fraction of a year, it would have compromised what Ryan has already started to build in New York. He led this team to the AFC title game last year and while I applaud him and the Jets for saying that they could have gotten by without Revis, the fact of the matter is that he’s their most vital piece defensively. Without him, it stands to reason that the Jets could have gotten by with rookie Kyle Wilson. But with him, they should return to the top of the league in all defensive categories and now Ryan can continue to work on what he started last year with the Jets. With him, they’re contenders (playoffs or otherwise) again.

Mike Tannenbaum: The dude can finally go back to sleeping at night.

Revis didn’t get what he ultimately wanted in the end, but nobody should be insinuatating that he “lost” this battle. He just skipped all of training camp, will play a full 16-week season and now has $36 million in his back pocket.

He didn’t lose anything.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting via his Twitter account that the Jets and cornerback Darrelle Revis have reached an agreement in principle to a new deal, although the specifics have yet to be announced.

Filed to ESPN: Jets and CB Darrelle Revis reach agreement in principle. Revis will fly to NY, sign contract and be on field next Monday nt.

Darrelle Revis is scheduled to be at the Jets training facility tomorrow to sign the deal. Numbers likely to be a team, but not NFL record.

This is what Revis tweeted roughly 10 minutes ago:

To my family, neil, & john I love u guys I’m comin home baby!!! Revis Island LET’S GO.

it not has only been hard on u guys but it has for me too. I just want to tell yall that I’m sorry for this process …

More to come in the morning.

The Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that Jets’ GM Mike Tannenbaum has said that the team will move forward without disgruntled cornerback Darrelle Revis now that final cuts have been made.

“Darrelle is not here, and we’ve planned accordingly,” general manager Mike Tannenbaum said on a conference call with reporters. “We feel good about our depth at corner. We have six guys that can help us, and that’s the group we’re going to be moving forward with.”

“We have to move forward,” Tannenbaum said. “We’re playing ball in a little over a week, and that’s what we’re prepared to do. We feel good about the roster we have; we feel good about our coaching staff. Over the course of a 16-game season, there are going to be a number of players that are unavailable. Traditionally it’s for injuries; one happens to be a contract issue.”

Good for the Jets. They drew a line in the sand and stuck to it. I don’t get what Revis expected to happen; the Jets told him that they would never pay him what he wanted and he still continues to hold out. It’s amazing how much money this guy is going to leave on the table just because he wants to carry the moniker of being the highest paid cornerback in the league.

I’ve got news for you Darrelle, with the way free agency works in the NFL, you would only have been the highest paid corner for the next couple of years and then somebody would have topped your figures. So just play some damn football already.

2010 NFL Division Previews & Predictions: AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West | NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West | 2010 Question Marks Series

The AFC East is arguably the most difficult division to predict because the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins all have enough talent to claim the top spot but all three also have huge question marks that could hold them back.

The Bills, on the other hand…not so hard to predict. (Sorry Buffalo fans.)

Here’s how I see things shaking out in the AFC East this season. Be sure to check out the link entitled “2010 Question Mark” under each team’s preview, which is a breakdown of one or two potential weaknesses that could derail that squad’s hopes in 2010.

1. Patriots

What to Like: Wes Welker is apparently healthy, which is a great sign for Tom Brady and the rest of the Pats’ offense. Although they failed to recapture the magic they had in 2007, the offense ranked third in the NFL in yards per game, sixth in total points and eighth in third down percentage. Along with Welker and Randy Moss, Brady will also have talented rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez to throw to in the passing game and Julian Edelman proved when filling in for Welker last season that he can be productive as well.
What Not to Like: It appears that the pass rush, or lack thereof, will be a massive concern all season. It was a concern heading into the offseason, it’s been a concern thus far in preseason and it’s going to remain a concern unless guys step up. Granted, Tully Banta-Cain is coming off a career year and rookie Jermaine Cunningham has potential, but Derrick Burgess needs to stay motivated and be productive. If he doesn’t and Banta-Cain can’t put up the numbers he did last year then Bill Belichick’s defense could suffer at every level. There’s also the very real concern that starting left guard Logan Mankins will skip the entire season because of a contract despite, meaning promising but inexperienced tackle Sebastian Vollmer will be inserted into the starting lineup.
Keep an Eye On: Darius Butler
In five starts last season, Butler had three inceptions and although he was inconsistent in coverage and needs to cut down on penalties, he could blossom into a star this season. He has already become a leader in the locker room.
The Final Word: Even though the offense stalled in the second half of some games last season, it will still be tough to stop this team a weekly basis. Plus, after struggling to a 2-6 record on the road last season, the Pats will face only two 2009 playoff teams away from Foxboro this year. In fact, six of the 2009 playoff teams they face this year will have to come to New England, which is obviously a major advantage. I think given the problems that the rest of the teams have in the division, the Pats will once again come out on top, although this is far from a Super Bowl team in my eyes.

New England Patriots 2010 Question Mark: Pass Rush

Read the rest of this entry »