Gold Jacket Spotlight: His ‘island’ no paradise for Darrelle Revis’ opponents
Gold Jacket Spotlight
Published on : 5/27/2025
Travel brochures entice visitors to destinations like the Hawaiian islands, Greek islands or Caribbean islands with the promise of enjoying a relaxed lifestyle in paradise.
For more than decade, NFL receivers hoped to avoid Revis Island, because the experience of visiting this place resulted in gloomy isolation. The smothering man-to-man coverage from Hall of Fame cornerback DARRELLE REVIS proved to be anything but a day at the beach for pass catchers.
This week’s Gold Jacket Spotlight explores the experience of a visit to Revis Island.
The crowdsourced “Urban Dictionary” describes Revis Island as “A place where NFL wide receivers frequently get lost. Ruled by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, once you enter Revis Island, you're not coming back.”
The genesis of the nickname likely came from a comment Darrelle made while speaking to reporters.
“I recall a media session, and I kind of said, ‘I'm on an island. I feel like I'm alone out there,’ ” Darrelle told Rich Cimini of ESPN in explaining that reporters started running with the term. “Then it just stuck. It ended up turning into a household name.”
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan developed the concept of assigning Darrelle to defend the opponent’s most dangerous receiver singularly.
After four seasons as defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, the Jets hired Ryan as their head coach, and it didn’t take long for him to recognize the talent Revis, then in his third season at cornerback, possessed.
As Ryan told Cimini: “I'm thinking, ‘This kid could be the best. This freaking guy is amazing.’
“I’m going to do something that’s hardly ever done,” Ryan said. “I’m going to put this dude on the best damn player and roll my coverage away from him.”
Ryan’s confidence in Darrelle’s abilities reached such a high level, it allowed the coach to design hybrid schemes in which his island cornerback remained in man-to-man coverage while the rest of the defense played zone coverage.
Ryan’s approach resulted in creating difficult experiences for “visitors” to the island throughout the 2009 season.
While leading the league in passes defensed (31) in 2009, Darrelle neutralized some of the league’s top receivers during their island visit.
Steve Smith, ANDRE JOHNSON, Roddy White, Reggie Wayne and Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson were held to 36 reception yards or fewer when matched against Darrelle that season, while the same “island hospitality” was afforded to RANDY MOSS and TERRELL OWENS twice during the campaign.
Prior to the Jets playing the Bengals, Darrelle and Ochocinco, who respected each other’s talents, exchanged texts of “good-natured ribbing,” television announcer Al Michaels offered during the game’s broadcast on NBC.
Michael’s noted that Ochocinco had told NBC’s Bob Costas that “if Revis shuts me down, I’m changing my name back to Johnson.”
“He better get the paperwork ready,” quipped Michael’s broadcast partner, Cris Collinsworth.
Only three receivers scored while covered by Darrelle that season and Louis Murphy (58 yards) and Ted Ginn Jr. (57) were the only receivers to exceed 50 yards receiving against him in a game.
While shutting down the league’s top pass catchers, Darrelle grabbed six interceptions, accumulating 121 return yards. His overall efforts earned him the first of four first-team All-Pro recognitions throughout his career.
As the New York City community celebrated the team’s playoff participation in January 2010, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that Manhattan would be renamed (unofficially) Revis Island for the duration of the Jets’ playoff run.
Darrelle received similar recognition in 2013 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Bob Minning, then the mayor of Treasure Island, Fla., proclaimed his city would ceremoniously change its name to “Revis Island, Florida” for a day to recognize the Buccaneers acquisition of the cornerback.
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023, his first year of eligibility, Darrelle’s invitation to family and friends to celebrate his enshrinement read: “You’re invited to Revis Island.”
Undoubtedly a more enjoyable trip to his island than NFL receivers experienced.
For more than decade, NFL receivers hoped to avoid Revis Island, because the experience of visiting this place resulted in gloomy isolation. The smothering man-to-man coverage from Hall of Fame cornerback DARRELLE REVIS proved to be anything but a day at the beach for pass catchers.
This week’s Gold Jacket Spotlight explores the experience of a visit to Revis Island.
The crowdsourced “Urban Dictionary” describes Revis Island as “A place where NFL wide receivers frequently get lost. Ruled by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, once you enter Revis Island, you're not coming back.”
The genesis of the nickname likely came from a comment Darrelle made while speaking to reporters.
“I recall a media session, and I kind of said, ‘I'm on an island. I feel like I'm alone out there,’ ” Darrelle told Rich Cimini of ESPN in explaining that reporters started running with the term. “Then it just stuck. It ended up turning into a household name.”
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan developed the concept of assigning Darrelle to defend the opponent’s most dangerous receiver singularly.
After four seasons as defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, the Jets hired Ryan as their head coach, and it didn’t take long for him to recognize the talent Revis, then in his third season at cornerback, possessed.
As Ryan told Cimini: “I'm thinking, ‘This kid could be the best. This freaking guy is amazing.’
“I’m going to do something that’s hardly ever done,” Ryan said. “I’m going to put this dude on the best damn player and roll my coverage away from him.”
Ryan’s confidence in Darrelle’s abilities reached such a high level, it allowed the coach to design hybrid schemes in which his island cornerback remained in man-to-man coverage while the rest of the defense played zone coverage.
Ryan’s approach resulted in creating difficult experiences for “visitors” to the island throughout the 2009 season.
While leading the league in passes defensed (31) in 2009, Darrelle neutralized some of the league’s top receivers during their island visit.
Steve Smith, ANDRE JOHNSON, Roddy White, Reggie Wayne and Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson were held to 36 reception yards or fewer when matched against Darrelle that season, while the same “island hospitality” was afforded to RANDY MOSS and TERRELL OWENS twice during the campaign.
Prior to the Jets playing the Bengals, Darrelle and Ochocinco, who respected each other’s talents, exchanged texts of “good-natured ribbing,” television announcer Al Michaels offered during the game’s broadcast on NBC.
Michael’s noted that Ochocinco had told NBC’s Bob Costas that “if Revis shuts me down, I’m changing my name back to Johnson.”
“He better get the paperwork ready,” quipped Michael’s broadcast partner, Cris Collinsworth.
Only three receivers scored while covered by Darrelle that season and Louis Murphy (58 yards) and Ted Ginn Jr. (57) were the only receivers to exceed 50 yards receiving against him in a game.
While shutting down the league’s top pass catchers, Darrelle grabbed six interceptions, accumulating 121 return yards. His overall efforts earned him the first of four first-team All-Pro recognitions throughout his career.
As the New York City community celebrated the team’s playoff participation in January 2010, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that Manhattan would be renamed (unofficially) Revis Island for the duration of the Jets’ playoff run.
Darrelle received similar recognition in 2013 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Bob Minning, then the mayor of Treasure Island, Fla., proclaimed his city would ceremoniously change its name to “Revis Island, Florida” for a day to recognize the Buccaneers acquisition of the cornerback.
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023, his first year of eligibility, Darrelle’s invitation to family and friends to celebrate his enshrinement read: “You’re invited to Revis Island.”
Undoubtedly a more enjoyable trip to his island than NFL receivers experienced.
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