TAMPA, Fla. -- Turns out, Darrelle Revis' recovering left knee is the reason for him playing more zone coverage than expected with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Thursday night, the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback revealed that there was more to the story behind his noticeable lack of press coverage early this season. Speaking on his radio show with 620 WDAE-AM in Tampa, Revis said the knee in question, which was surgically repaired after he tore his ACL in September 2012, kept him from playing more man-to-man schemes.
"Earlier in the year, I didn't have the explosion to play press," he told the radio station. "The receiver would just run the (vertical) 9-route on me, and I didn't have the stamina to do that play-in and play-out, especially playing press."
Friday, Revis elaborated on his status.
"It's a process. It's a process you've got to go through," he said. "ACLs take awhile. It's a process. I'm not all the way there yet. You've got to change your game, and that's what I had to do.
"I'm getting back to myself. The last game (against the Carolina Panthers), I pressed Steve Smith every chance I got. So I'm getting there. It's a process. I've just got to keep on strengthening my leg and getting stronger."
Also Friday, Bucs coach Greg Schiano said the coaching staff has given Revis latitude on technique, based on how he's feeling health-wise, because they trust his ability to know what he can and can't do in the secondary. Throughout the season, Schiano and defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan have received criticism for what some perceived as too much zone coverage by Revis.
"At the end of the day, an elite-level athlete like Darrelle Revis, he knows what he can and can’t do," Schiano said Friday.
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