New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a history of trying certain players on both sides of the football. Could cornerback Darrelle Revis become the Patriots’ next two-way threat, excelling on both defense and offense?
Revis didn’t rule it out this week, telling the Boston Herald he’d be open to lining up at wide receiver Thursday night against the New York Jets if Belichick thought it would give the Patriots an advantage.
“I mean, I’m very confident in catching balls. I know that,” Revis said. “We’ve got some great receivers on this team. Usually, when something happens like that, it’s the depth chart, maybe injuries. Knock on wood, I hope we don’t get to that point.
“But if there was an opportunity, if Bill came to me and said we need help, I’m willing to do whatever coach says. And that’s any position. That’s just what it is. We get asked to do some crazy things sometimes. Whatever coach needs me to play, I’ll be up for the challenge.”
The idea of Revis playing receiver is nuts, especially when you consider how important he is at his natural position. But there could be more to the story.
According to the Herald, there was a rumor circulating a while back that Revis wanted to catch a touchdown pass from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady against the Jets, who traded the cornerback to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the 2013 season and then opted not to pursue him in free agency earlier this year.
“I’ll leave it up to Bill. He’s the guru and he’s the genius at those type of things,” Revis said this week of playing wideout. “He has a history of doing things like that.”
Revis was a receiver in high school and could have played the position at the University of Pittsburgh, so it’s not as if the 29-year-old would be plunging into uncharted waters if Belichick rolled the dice. In fact, a temporary transition could yield even greater success than that enjoyed by previous Patriots two-way players, including Mike Vrabel, Troy Brown and Julian Edelman.
“I got a knack for just being a ball hawk,” Revis told the Herald. “You’ve got to have certain skill sets to see where the ball’s at in the air, high point it, at the best time when the ball’s coming down. When the ball’s coming down, I just try to turn into a receiver and try to catch it and come down with the ball.”
But is it really possible? Would Belichick really be crazy enough to pull the trigger, thus allowing Revis to exact revenge on his former team?
“We’ll see,” Revis said.
Photo via Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports Images
