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Which Colts Receiver Will End Up on Darrelle Revis’ Island?

By Luke Schultheis

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Normally islands offer a piece of paradise; however, not for the Indianapolis Colts and Andrew Luck once again facing shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis on Monday Night Football.

Sep 13, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

As arguably the league’s best cornerback, this New York Jet places the opposing receiver he shadows on his own personal “Revis Island“.

Population: Just Them.

Welcome to:

Fun

,

Relaxation

, and Isolation.

In last season’s AFC Championship Game–only playing for the Patriots this time around, Revis was simply stellar.

The New England secondary opted to double team T.Y. Hilton with cornerback Logan Ryan and over-the-top safety help, while shadowing Donte Moncrief with largely one-on-one coverage with Darrelle Revis.

Moncrief’s end line: 1 target for 0 receptions. 

During that AFC title game, Luck mostly decided to forego ‘Revis Island’ all together. He targeted Revis just twice, with no completions, and an interception, which the latter took the other way for 30 yards on a return.

Luck’s end NFL Rating targeting Revis: 0.00. 

In fact, in 2 career games facing Revis (including Week 11 of last season), Luck had targeted the shutdown cornerback a total of 8 times for 2 receptions, a measly 4 receiving yards, and the aforementioned 1 interception (via ProFootballFocus). 

It’s worth noting that this offseason, Luck caught up with NFL.com’s Dave Dameshek and was asked, “The cornerback that keeps him (Luck) up all night is: ____,” which the former responded:

"“That would be admitting that I can’t sleep at night, which I sleep alright most of the time (chuckling),” replied Andrew Luck. “But I have a lot of healthy respect for Darrelle Revis. He’s a stud.”"

He’s not alone in his admiration, as Colts head coach Chuck Pagano compared the now 30 year old Revis to a fine wine on Thursday:

"“Never fall asleep,” said Pagano regarding Revis. “It’s like fine wine. They just keep getting better with age. I don’t see any difference in Darrelle (Revis). He’s a great player, and he’s very, very smart. Great competitor, and he’s got all of the physical skills, but he’s so crafty and so smart.”“Just watching the tape, I know he spends a great deal of time watching his opponent and figuring things out,” added Pagano. “I’m sure they’ll have a plan to match him up on whoever. Again, we’ll deal with that when we find out what that is.”"

Whether Revis is shadowing T.Y. Hilton (*if he plays), Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief, etc., the rest of the team’s receiving corps has to step up and rise to the occasion. The Colts cannot be afraid to throw in Revis’ direction, but at the same time, there are likely going to be more favorable matchups on the field elsewhere.

Yes, Revis really is that good.

Jan 18, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) breaks up a pass intended for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief (10) during the fourth quarter in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

He lets receivers pack their bags and then sends him to his own personal island, which is pure pain over pleasure for his unfortunate guest. Quite frankly, he’s been terrorizing quarterback to wide receiver combinations for the past 9 seasons with simply no signs of slowing down.

Now, as far as which Colts receiver has the misfortunte of being lined up against Revis, that’s really anybody’s guess right now.

Having Hilton play would certainly change matters, but in his absence, the Jets could either double team Johnson elsewhere and have Revis solely take away Moncrief one-on-one, which he’s proven he already can–allowing them to roll secondary help elsewhere.

Or, Gang Green could place the 5’11, 198 pound Revis on all 6’3″, 229 pounds of Johnson, which would no doubt be a physical matchup for the ages, in an attempt to take away Luck’s possession target.

Either way, whichever wide receiver Revis ends up shadowing is in-line for a long day (and a must-avoid for any fantasy football players out there). However, that just means the other Colts receivers have to simply elevate their level of play and win their individual matchups.

Jan 18, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) reacts after intercepting a pass against the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Next: Colts vs Jets: Week 2 Thursday Injury Report

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