FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that will require surgery, likely meaning he’ll miss the rest of the season.
A somber coach Rex Ryan wouldn’t definitively rule Revis out for the season Monday, saying he just found out about the results of the MRI exam. But Revis will have to wait two or three weeks before having surgery, Ryan said, and the recovery from an ACL tear is normally between six and nine months. So, the chances of Revis returning this season appear extremely slim.
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Ryan added that he would speak with Revis first before the team decides whether he will be placed on injured reserve.
“It’s just disappointing,” Ryan said. “This guy wants to win. As great a player as he is individually, he’s a great teammate and just wants to win. That’s why he was so excited about this year.”
Revis was injured in the third quarter of the Jets’ 23-20 overtime victory at Miami on Sunday, falling awkwardly and grabbing at his knee even before he hit the grass. It was a non-contact injury, and he wound up covering his face with gloved hands in obvious pain.
He was able to walk off the field, but was taken into the locker room on a golf cart.
Ryan had a feeling the injury was serious when talking to Revis on the plane ride home from Miami on Sunday night, but the team wanted to wait until the MRI results Monday morning confirmed their worst fears.
“Obviously, that’s a significant injury,” Ryan said. “It’s something we have to overcome as a football team. For him, I feel bad about it because he’s such a great player and a great teammate. We’re going to lose that presence. I don’t know what else to say about it.
“I guess that’s the horrible thing that came out of the game.”
It was Revis’ first game back after missing a week with a concussion suffered in the season opener against Buffalo. He had missed only three games before this season, all in 2010.
“Certainly, it’s a big disappointment,” Ryan said. “I know the way Darrelle is, that this is a guy who’s as competitive as it gets, and I don’t think there’s any doubt that he’s going to come back strong from it.”
Losing Revis is a huge blow for the Jets, who will now be without their best player and perhaps the NFL’s top shutdown cornerback on a defense that Ryan had considered his best since coming to New York. Kyle Wilson, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2010, will now step into Revis’ starting role opposite Antonio Cromartie.
While Wilson has not lived up to lofty expectations and the drop-off from Revis is huge, the Jets still have two first-rounders starting at the position.
“Most teams have just one No. 1 corner and some teams don’t even have any,” Ryan said. “We’re fortunate that we have the best in the league in Darrelle and a No. 1 corner in Cromartie. We’re fortunate there. We drafted Kyle Wilson to basically be a No. 2 corner, and that’s what he’s going to play, that role, and I’m confident in Kyle.”
Ryan also did not rule out looking to sign a free agent to help replace Revis. The Jets released defensive lineman Marcus Dixon on Monday, and Ryan said the move was made in part so the team could pursue other players. Rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill has a hamstring injury that could sideline him a week, so the Jets might need help at that position, too.
Seven of the Jets’ current players have had ACL surgeries during their careers, including Cromartie — who missed his final year at Florida State with a similar injury before being a first-round pick of San Diego in 2006.
Despite losing Revis, Ryan insists he is not panicking about the season.
“It never happens,” Ryan said. “We have enough to get it done here. … We’ll find a way to get this done.”
The Jets had an ugly, mistake-filled win at Miami, but are in first place in the AFC East at 2-1 — they hold the tiebreaker over Buffalo — with tough home games against San Francisco and Houston coming up.
“This is a team game, and as a team, we’ve got to step it up,” Ryan said. “I think we’ll respond. We certainly have to accept the challenge, and we’re going to come out and compete. We might do it a little differently, but we’re certainly going to give it our best shot, without question.
“Is it a major blow when you lose a great player like Darrelle Revis? Of course, it absolutely is. But this is a football team, and I think we showed that yesterday, too.”
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