When you move past the fact that Darrelle Revis is coming off major knee surgery and will be making more money than any defensive back in NFL history, he looks like a steal for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If you’re going to give up a first-round pick, you might as well do so for arguably the best cornerback in the league.
However, not all fans, players and former players are sold on Tampa’s new acquisition. Hall of Famer Warren Sapp doesn’t feel that Revis contributes to a championship formula.
“He’s selfish and he’s never been a team player,” Sapp told The Tampa Tribune on Sunday. “We didn’t win the championship that way. Derrick Brooks and I always cared more about the team than ourselves.”
Former Bucs safety John Lynch, who was also part of a championship-caliber defense in Tampa, offered a different opinion.
“I played with Champ Bailey in his prime and I know what a cornerback like Revis can do for a defense,” Lynch said. “Like Champ, Revis is a guy who can neutralize No. 1 receivers, so you don’t have to dedicate extra resources to stopping that guy. Darrelle Revis is a big-time football player. … He’s a game-changer.”
You could certainly make the argument that Revis has been overly concerned with his contract since coming into the league, but it was the Jets that wanted to get rid of him. He has performed like the best cornerback in the NFL over the past several years and New York did not want to pay him accordingly. That’s the team’s prerogative, but I don’t know if I’d label him “selfish” based solely on that. Then again, there a lot of things Sapp says that I don’t totally agree with.
H/T Pro Football Talk
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