*NEW YORKJETS CB DARRELLE REVIS *
National Conference Call 1-21-10
Are you guys playing the underdog role, insofar as no one is really giving you a chance to win?
"It has been that way throughout the playoffs. People say we don't deserve to be here and things like that. We hear what is going on, but we aren't focused on that. Our focus was getting into the playoffs and now that we are here, trying to make noise."
How does Reggie Wayne compare to the guys that you have covered?
"He is up there at the top, in the top five. This is a guy that has year-in and year-out been to numerous Pro Bowls and always been a primary receiver. I have gotten to watch the first game that we played in the regular season, and I thought it was a good matchup. Two of the best guys going against each and other trying to compete."
Did you expect this type of success this early in your career?
"The one thing I do is set goals. You have to set goals for each year you play in the league. That is what I have been doing since I was in high school, setting goals for myself in life for me to achieve. Everything I have written as a goal since high school all came true. You work toward something, but nobody is going to give it to you, so you have to work extra hard to get those things."
How much harder is it playing against a guy like Peyton Manning considering he has such great timing with his receivers and considering a lot of his throws happen before the receiver is out of his break?
"Peyton is great at that. He has good awareness, he has good eyes, and good vision on the field. He knows most of the time where his guys are going to be [on the field]. You see it week-in and week-out, throwing balls before guys are out of their breaks and throwing balls to where defenders can't find the ball. You tip your hat off to a guy like that and you respect the guy for his skills."
Do you almost have to wait for him to make a mistake?
"I wouldn't say that because he rarely makes mistakes. He is great. He is comfortable and he has been there for a long time. With a quarterback like this – I remember back in Week 3 we played Tom Brady – we had him kind of confused a little bit. I think that is the same thing we have to do with Peyton. With these smart quarterbacks you have to show them different looks from what they have been studying and what they have been looking at."
Did you always want to be a cornerback growing up? And if so, who did you want to emulate? Everyone always says Deion Sanders.
I have been playing cornerback since I was seven and I started football. I guess it just always stuck with me. I played a couple of other positions, but I always just liked what a cornerback does –getting interceptions, coming up tackling, and just watching receivers and trying to shut them down. I did want to grow up wanting to be like a Deion Sanders, like a Ty Law, like a Darrell Green, like a Mel Blount. Now I guess it is happening, but you still have to work hard and prove yourself every year.
How do you feel about not winning the defensive player of the year award when a lot of people thought you should win it?
"I don't know. It was a tough decision this year. The votes were 28 -14. Charles Woodson had a great year too, and I voted for him. I am a fan of his. Like I said before, it is an award going into the season that you don't know if you will get or not. I didn't have it on my list of goals. It is just one of those awards as you go through the course year that can just happen, and when I was up for defensive player of the year I thought 'yeah right!' Usually it is a linebacker or a defensive end, but when they were saying I was one of the top two I was kind of like 'I don't know.' It is a good thing, though. I didn't get it, I wish I would have, but it didn't happen like that. You can't be down about it, because there are a lot of great players in the NFL."
How did your 'ritual' of standing over the ball before the offense comes out [of the huddle] come about and what is it all about?
"I think it just keeps me focused and have me in the zone to follow my guy everywhere he goes on the field. That is basically what I use it for – just to be in the zone and be focused on my target at hand."
What does it mean for you to have Coach Ryan come out and say you should have been the defensive player of the year, having one of the finest years of a quarterback in many years?
"I appreciate him backing me up and having my back. I don't know – he has been around a lot of great athletes. He has been around Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, even Deion [Sanders] was there with him. You just thank him for it. If he believes it, he believes it. A lot of other people believed it too, but it is just a bunch of different opinions around the league. Some people say I should win it, others say Charles Woodson. There is always going to be a mix of that over who should win it. But like I said, Charles had a great season too, and everybody felt that he deserved it."
How do you feel about Coach Ryan's comments with regards to the Super Bowl?
That is just the confidence in Coach Ryan. Some people look at it like it is arrogance, but that is the goal you want to focus on playing this game. I don't think an organization or a team comes into training camp thinking they are not going to the Super Bowl. That is the goal we play this game for, to try to be world champions. That is just him wanting us be there.
Was it hard to adjust to Ryan's system?
No, it wasn't hard. Coach Ryan runs a simple camp. It really isn't hard or difficult. You just have to buy into it and be patient with what's going on and with what he is trying to accomplish and what we are trying to accomplish as a team.
What was the difference for you this year? Why were you so much better – was it just your maturation in the NFL?
It is just being a student of the game. That is basically it. Just being more studious, learning different techniques and studying more. I did that this past offseason, and it helped me out. My progression has been great, and this goes back to what I was saying before – I have goals every year. After this season is over, next year I will want to top it, that is just the competitiveness I have in myself of just wanting to improve and improve.
What do you think the X factor will be this weekend against the Colts?
First off is to come in relaxed. We have been good on the road this year. We know it will be a hostile environment, but you have to enjoy it and just have fun with it. Be relaxed and poised. Second, we can't make any mistakes. This is a team that we are playing that has been here, been to the Super Bowl, and has a lot of experience. We are new to this, we have a young team. One thing about us is that we work hard and we are very competitive, and I think that will give us the edge in winning this game.
Can you speak about your relationship you have with Deion Sanders?
Me and Deion had a great relationship. It means a lot to me. Last week he came in and interviewed me one-on-one, and as soon as I met him – that was my first time meeting him, we had texted before that – I felt like a kid again. We started laughing and got to know each other more in person, which is a good thing. I appreciate it. You work hard for it, but you think you will never meet these people with what they did. You just enjoy it and have fun with it.
How important is your relationship with your uncle, Sean Gilbert?
Besides my mom, he is the second best relationship I have. It is great. He played 11 or 12 years in the NFL. [Going through] things he did, he just wanted me to have an open mind to new things with what is going on. Don't let me get beside myself, don't let me get big-headed, but to stay humble and just be the person you are and not to change, because people want you to change. Just be yourself, and if people don't accept that, then they don't. Also just with the business side of it as well. He is great. I talk to him all the time – I was just talking to him last night. Simple things, the things you always want to work hard for and always want to improve as a football player. Don't ever get too big to where people can't tell you anything or coach you anymore because of the success you had.
Can anybody stop the Colts' offensive attack?
Yeah – everybody is human. They have lost games this year. Anybody can win.
