Tampa Bay Buccaneers “Fully Confident” Darrelle Revis Starts Week 1
By Josh Hill
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a knack for getting much better in the offseason following a disappointing year. They did it last offseason when they drafted wise and hit the jackpot with franchise running back Doug Martin and this offseason they loaded up on defensive talent. The crown jewel of their offseason was pulling off a trade to acquire Darrelle Revis, but there have ben questions about how well his ACL is healing up.
According to Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik, the team is “fully confident” Revis will be playing the first week of the season. Mark Cook of The Pewter Report spoke with Dominik who assured him that Revis Island will be on the field when Tampa Bay starts the season against the New York Jets.
“Fully confident,” Dominik said, via Cook and Pewter Report. “He’s in great shape right now, he’s running full speed, he’s cutting, he’s doing all the things we’d want him to do from a training standpoint, a rehabilitation standpoint. We’re going to keep him at our pace, but the whole point is that he’ll walk out to the first day of training camp, he’ll have the pads on and he’ll be ready hopefully for the Jets (in) Week 1. We’re expecting that.”
Fans around the NFL are hoping Revis is healthy so he can take on his old team — and Revis going against Mark Sanchez seems a little too easy. But the Bucs know they gave up a lot to get Revis as his acquisition cost them the 13th pick in the draft. With Revis essentially taking on the role of the Bucs 2013 first-round pick, Tampa Bay is hoping he’ll be ready just like other teams are hoping their first-round pick takes shape.
The only difference is Revis is coming off of reconstructive knee surgery and is in the prime of his career. The hope is that such an injury isn’t as career altering as it used to be but despite the examples of Adrian Peterson and Robert Griffin III, Bucs fans won’t exhale until Revis picks off his first pass and shuts down the first receiver he lines up against.