FOXBORO, Mass. — Darrelle Revis was signed to give the New England Patriots’ pass defense a boost, but his presence on the practice field already has improved the offense, as well.
Revis beat quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Julian Edelman twice on Saturday, when the All-Pro cornerback intercepted two passes. Edelman was able to best Revis on Tuesday, however, during the first rep of 1-on-1 drills.
Revis still impressed, beating wide receivers Kenbrell Thompkins and Brandon LaFell during the drill. Revis has a way of making a pass deflection look effortless in practice thanks to his instincts and speed.
It’s rare for someone or something to live up to lofty expectations, but Revis has been as good as advertised for the Patriots.
Check out the rest of Tuesday’s practice observations:
— Brady was 6-for-7 in 7-on-7s and 13-for-16 in 11-on-11s. Quarterback Ryan Mallett was 5-for-6 in 7-on-7s and 3-for-7 in 11-on-11s. Rookie QB Jimmy Garoppolo was 2-for-3 in 7-on-7s and 3-for-6 in 11-on-11s with an interception thrown to cornerback Travis Hawkins.
— Running back Shane Vereen and tight end Justin Jones had drops during team drills.
— LaFell had an incredible catch on a deep throw from Brady over cornerback Malcolm Butler and safety Nate Ebner.
— Cornerback Kyle Arrington, linebacker Jamie Collins and safety Tavon Wilson had nice pass breakups during team drills.
— Newly signed wideout Brian Tyms caught a one-handed touchdown pass over Revis from Garoppolo.
— Here are the wide receiver-defensive back 1-on-1 results:
Edelman over Revis
Cornerback Logan Ryan over wide receiver Danny Amendola
LaFell over cornerback Brandon Browner
Butler over wide receiver Josh Boyce
Cornerback Daxton Swanson over Thompkins
Edelman over Arrington
Boyce over safety Duron Harmon
Safety Patrick Chung over Amendola
Revis over Thompkins
Edelman over cornerback Justin Green
Thompkins over safety Devin McCourty
Wide receiver Wilson Van Hooser over Ryan
Thompkins over Browner
Arrington over Amendola
Revis over LaFell
Green over Tyms
Edelman over Butler
Amendola over Chung
Boyce over McCourty
Revis over LaFell
Thompkins over Browner
Ryan interception over Edelman
— Edelman and Ryan were among the stars of 1-on-1s.
— Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski and Revis worked together separately twice during Tuesday’s session. Revis wasn’t going full speed, they were just giving Gronkowski a chance to catch with a defender in his face.
— Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard were in uniform but didn’t participate in contact drills.
— Running back James White continues to see a lot of reps in practice. He has been the standout rookie and beat out Brandon Bolden as the team’s No. 3 running back.
— Browner likely will be better with a full team around him, but he’s allowed a fair share of receptions in 1-on-1s.
