Jets caving to reality, putting Darrelle Revis on IR; surgery next Thursday

Following Darrelle Revis' devastating injury -- a non-contact ACL tear against the Dolphins -- Rex Ryan refused to put the Jets cornerback on injured reserve, holding out hope that Revis could return in time for the Super Bowl. (Sigh.)

Ryan finally caved to the reality of the situation and said during his press conference on Friday that Revis will have surgery next Thursday and the team is moving him to IR.

"I was holding out hope but the more information we got, realized that wouldn't be good for Darrelle either," Ryan said, per Jane McManus of ESPN New York.

Rex was asked about the possibility of using the designated IR slot for Revis, but admitted that the injury was too serious to warrant trying to force him back onto the field any time between now and next season.

"There's no way he's going to really come back and really be able to play," Ryan said.

Here's the thing: Holding out hope for Revis to return -- and not putting him on injured reserve -- is doing a disservice to the Jets as a whole. It eliminates a roster spot in the name of false hope, and it's the curious kind of roster maneuvering that the Colts engaged in with Peyton Manning last season.

How'd that work out? The Jets need bodies on both offense and defense, and they need them right now. Revis was never going to play this year. Even if he could, it would require the Jets making the postseason and then making a run, and even then it would be potentially damaging to Revis' long-term health to get back on the field without a full recovery.

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