When Darrelle Revis moved to Florida, he thought he was leaving behind more than state income tax. Revis assumed he was ditching the endless drama, too.
“I thought those New York days was over,” Revis told reporters on Wednesday, via JoeBucsFan.com.
Revis specifically was addressing a report from FOX Sports that he’s not happy with the ways of coach Greg Schiano, who has brought a college brand of discipline to Tampa, or the player’s role in the defense, where he’s been playing more zone than man-to-man coverage.
“Zero truth to it. Why wouldn’t I be happy here?” Revis said. “They gave me opportunity coming off my injury to play football again. I’m excited to be here.”
Revis has a long history of causing problems for a pro football team, primarily through two holdouts and another one that he seriously contemplated in 2012. For Revis, “those New York days” include his own role in an off-off-Broadway production far less amusing than La Cocina. So there’s reason to believe that what he says and how he feels could reflect two very different realities.
“I think the best thing through these situations is to be honest,” Revis said. “Be honest, and for us as a team to stick together. A win will change everything. A win will change this whole atmosphere.”
Implicit in that comment is that the atmosphere isn’t good. Which caused him to meet with the head coach to clear smoke that supposedly wasn’t there.
“I just wanted to make sure me and Coach was on the same page,” Revis said regarding the 15-minute sit-down with Schiano. “You know, a lot of things in the paper to get out, rumors here and there. But I just wanted to make sure I wanted to talk to him personally and just say, ‘Hey, just to let you know, I don’t know if you believe [the rumors] or not.’ Just make sure, you know, he saw me. During this time, it’s a tough time for this team. We’re 0-2, and we don’t want distractions.”
None of this means that Revis doesn’t have concerns. It only means that he’s smart enough to know he can’t afford to be perceived as already having concerns -- and that the team can’t be successful if he or other key players have concerns that are unresolved.
For Revis, he may be happy to be in Tampa. But maybe he could be even happier if certain things were handled differently.