There has been an uptick in Darrelle Revis media-based chatter since the perennial All-Pro met with reporters following the New England Patriots' organized team activity late last week. Still, it has some wondering locally if the Patriots' signing of Revis has been generally underplayed.
We can't count NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly in that category.
The former general manager, taking part in a NFL.com roundtable, calls it his favorite move of the offseason.
"[One] factor to consider is where Revis is in his career. When the coming season kicks off, he'll be nearly two years removed from ACL surgery. Revis was not all the way back in 2013, though his trainer feels he'll be operating at full capacity again in 2014. If the trainer is right, Patriots coach Bill Belichick will have a weapon on defense -- a shutdown corner -- of the kind that he has never truly had before in New England," Casserly opines, adding that he also likes the contract as well.
Revis gets a second vote from Dan Hanzus, a second member of the panel.
Naturally, one of the compelling storylines with Revis is whether this will be a one-and-done situation with the Patriots. But I don't get the sense that is at the forefront of his thinking at this time, nor the Patriots.
In that sense, this reminds me a little bit of running back Corey Dillon landing with the Patriots in 2004 with one year left on his contract.
Dillon had grown frustrated in Cincinnati and craved to play for a championship contender. It was a short-term focus -- a one-year all-in investment that would be revisited at the end of the season because the arrangement worked for both the player and team.
Dillon, who came with more off-field questions than Revis does, set a single-season Patriots record for rushing yards that year then signed a contract extension the next offseason.
Ten years later, could Revis turn in the same type of performance from a defensive perspective? And if so, could it lead to the same end result contract-wise?