FOXBORO, Mass. — It looks as though there’s not much love lost between the New England Patriots and Darrelle Revis after all.
There have been a lot of hard feelings for the cornerback from fans since he rejoined the New York Jets on a five-year, $70 million contract after helping lead the Patriots to their Super Bowl XLIX win. But Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing bad to say about Revis.
“Really good player, very smart, instinctive,” Belichick said of Revis during a conference call Wednesday. “When you don’t coach a guy, you don’t just have that day-to-day relationship with him. You just see him the times you compete against him.
“He was a pleasure to coach and really has a great understanding, instinctiveness to the game, studies his opponents well, always well prepared, very professional. Obviously, he’s a great player.”
Malcolm Butler, the Patriots’ No. 1 corner now that Revis is gone, said Tuesday that his former teammate was like a mentor to him. And Belichick doesn’t doubt that Revis had that effect on a lot of people.
“Yeah, I’m sure he did, yeah, absolutely,” Belichick said. “I think everybody has a lot of respect for the way he goes about his job, the way he prepares, the way he plays, and he’s a great person for any player, but particularly at that position, to try to emulate and pattern themselves after — absolutely.”
Now, the Pats will just have to wait and see if Revis is that same great player when he’s lining up across from them Sunday.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
