For years, Darrelle Revis was one of the best cornerbacks in all of football -- if not the best, period.
He was so good, for so long that opponents that had the misfortune of being covered by Revis during any given game were said to have gone to "Revis Island." The implication being that they were stranded -- all by themselves -- where they could never be found. Teams would often actively avoid even throwing to his side of the field, so strong was his coverage on whoever happened to draw him that day.
Can you imagine being so good at making wide receivers disappear that people came up with a nickname to describe the effect you have on them? That's how ridiculous Revis was.
Now 31 years old, Revis is past his prime. His decline arguably started late last season, but this year's drop-off has been even steeper, to the point where he is almost unrecognizable as a player. Courtesy of Pro Football Focus, here's a bonkers stat that shows just how far Revis has fallen off:
Career passer rating of QBs targeting Darrelle Revis 2007-15: 60.4 Passer rating of QBs targeting Darrelle Revis 2016: 109.8 📉💣
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) December 26, 2016
Here's the year-by-year chart:
YEAR | REC | TGT | YDS | TD | INT | RTG | PD |
2007 | 59 | 95 | 748 | 4 | 3 | 87.5 | 11 |
2008 | 49 | 84 | 510 | 2 | 5 | 59.1 | 8 |
2009 | 48 | 127 | 502 | 2 | 8 | 29.1 | 24 |
2010 | 28 | 67 | 411 | 3 | 0 | 77.4 | 13 |
2011 | 35 | 85 | 508 | 1 | 4 | 45.6 | 16 |
2012* | 3 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 6.3 | 1 |
2013 | 34 | 63 | 499 | 4 | 2 | 81.4 | 6 |
2014 | 44 | 85 | 582 | 4 | 3 | 74.7 | 12 |
2015 | 40 | 86 | 583 | 3 | 5 | 56.5 | 5 |
2016 | 47 | 70 | 629 | 3 | 0 | 109.8 | 4 |
As you can see, this is the first time since Revis was a rookie that he allowed a passer rating over 82. For perspective, the average passer rating from the time Revis entered the league through this year was 85.9. Meanwhile, Revis allowed only a 60.4 prior to this season. The difference between Revis and the NFL average in other passing indicators was nearly as large.
CB | COMP % | YPA | TD % | INT % | RTG |
Revis | 48.6% | 6.2 | 3.3% | 4.4% | 60.4 |
Average | 61.5% | 7.1 | 4.3% | 2.7% | 85.9 |
It was a pretty incredible run -- one of the best ever. It just appears to be over now. Whether he bounces back in future seasons or not, it'll only be remembered as a blip on an otherwise incredible career.