Cornerback Darrelle Revis once told cornerback Richard Sherman to “quit attaching his career to my career.” With Revis now in New England, however, a strong link between the two players has emerged.
Sherman, unlike other top corners, doesn’t follow the opponent’s best receiver wherever he goes. Instead, Sherman goes to the left side of the defensive formation and covers whoever lines up across from him. As explained by Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Revis may now be doing the same thing in New England.
Via Volin, Revis has lined up strictly on the left side of the formation during training camp, with Brandon Browner solely on the right. And that could be the way it goes this year for the Pats, especially after Browner returns from an upcoming four-game suspension.
“I’m predominantly a right corner. That’s all I played in Seattle, the right side,” Browner said recently. “The system here is pretty much the same thing I was doing in Seattle. It’s just the terminology [that’s different].”’
Revis seems to be willing to accept the shift in his job duties. Or so he says publicly.
“Whatever role coach wants me to play, I’m ready to play,” Revis said. “It’s still early, it’s camp, you never know. But as of right now we’ve got to do our jobs, whether it’s left or right, special teams, I don’t know. But right now we’re just trying to get reps.”
As Volin points out, the preseason will reveal plenty about what the Pats plan to do with both players. Even then, there’s a chance Bill Belichick will keep his actual intentions under wraps until the real games begin.