Darrelle Revis: 'I'm In The Best Shape I've Been In My Career'
FOXBORO (CBS) -- Darrelle Revis' 2013 season as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a mostly forgettable experience, due in large part to the All-Pro coming off a torn ACL early in the previous season. Though Revis played in all 16 games for the Bucs, he made just two interceptions and failed to make the impact he did during his best years with the New York Jets.
Now with a season of recovery and a full offseason of working out behind him, the 29-year-old feels he's in the best shape of his career.
"It's just coming off the ACL injury, that was tough for me. I finished all 16 games last year but I still wasn't where I wanted to be physically as a player," Revis said Friday after practice. "This is my first offseason where I can focus not on rehabbing, just on working out, and having a full offseason where I can just do that. ... They say it takes a year and a half or two -- I think I'm at a point now where I'm there. I'm there. This whole offseason was a full offseason for me where I could just focus on working out instead of doing the rehab as soon as you get the injury. I'm fine, man. Like I said, I'm in the best shape I've been in my career. I'm just looking forward to the season."
Revis spoke of his happiness from being a member of the Patriots, but he seemed to be even more excited about the fact that he once again feels like the player he was before the injury.
"I'm just excited about this opportunity about coming here and having an opportunity to come here and be a New England Patriot, but also I'm back to where I can move around a little bit better," Revis said. "Last year was really tough coming off the injury. Even though I played all 16 games, it was just tough. I wasn't where I needed to be. Now I'm a little bit more excited, I feel the butterflies a little bit more. I'm just ready. I'm just ready to play and get ready for the season."
With Richard Sherman playing a very vocal role on the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks last year and boasting about being the best cornerback in the game, the question was asked of Revis if he's trying to prove that he's the best in the NFL.
"I don't need to prove nothing to anybody," Revis said. "W's is what matter. More wins than losses in that column, and that's what we do as a team. I don't need to prove nothing to anybody. Everybody is great, everybody performs well at the professional level. Those are for you guys to rate who's this and that. It really doesn't matter to me."
As for joining the other side of the heated rivalry that exists between the Jets and Patriots, Revis admitted it was a little bit weird to hear cheers from fans in New England this week. Yet he doesn't expect those strange feelings to last very long.
"It really doesn't matter what color you got on. I always look at it as I'm playing the game that I love, it really doesn't matter," Revis said. "When I played at Pitt, we were blue and gold. It really doesn't matter. New York, green and white, Tampa Bay is red and black and gold, whatever. It really doesn't matter. This is my eighth year. I'm excited about this year. I worked my butt off this offseason to get in shape and get my weight down. I'm just getting prepared for a long season.
"That's rivalries. There's college rivalries, there's high school rivalries, and there's rivalries in the pros as well. Like I said, I was on that side and you're not supposed to like your rival, no matter where you play at. Like I said, I'm here now and all of that's in the past. Only thing I can do is focus on what I can do now, and right now I'm a Patriot. And like I said, I'm excited to be here, it's great, I'm excited about camp, the whole team is, and we're looking forward to this year."
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