Jets believe they're super without Revis

CORTLAND, N.Y. - The ripple effect from All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis' training-camp holdout became obvious when undrafted Giants free agent Victor Cruz caught three touchdown passes against three veteran Jets backup defensive backs in the second half Monday night. But coach Rex Ryan and defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman defended their defense Wednesday and said the Jets are a Super Bowl contender even without Revis.

Revis shut down every big-name receiver he faced last season, effectively taking away one side of the field from each opposing quarterback, especially in the deep passing game. It was a performance reminiscent of what Deion Sanders did with the 1994 San Francisco 49ers on their way to a Super Bowl championship.

As for whether the Jets are a legitimate Super Bowl contender without their shutdown corner, Thurman said, "No question. New Orleans won without it. The Giants won without it. I don't think a team has won the Super Bowl with a shutdown corner since Deion and the 49ers. It's not something you have to have. It's a luxury. You love the fact you have it, but it's a team game. Eleven guys can get it done a lot easier than one guy."

Ryan cited the first-half performance of the starters, including rookie cornerback Kyle Wilson, when the Jets took a 13-10 lead and held the Giants to 70 yards passing, including 51 on an Eli Manning ad-lib dump-off to Ahmad Bradshaw. "The 'ones' played great," Ryan said. "You can't play much better than that.

"Obviously, the backups move up a spot, so, your fourth corner is your third corner. There's always that ripple effect, but don't feel sorry for us. We have plenty of talent here. I've been productive on defense with a heck of a lot less talent than this."

Thurman and Ryan are full of praise for the job Wilson has done, starting on the outside at cornerback and then moving inside in nickel situations, which is the job for which he originally was drafted in the first round.

"If there's any pressure, he didn't feel it," Thurman said of Wilson. "Him performing well wasn't surprising. He's been everything we thought he'd be from the first day of OTAs. He competes, he studies, he asks great questions and he takes great notes. He's off to a great start."

Added Ryan: "He takes as good notes as any rookie that I've seen in a long time. He's a rookie in experience and age, but he's a veteran as far as his professionalism."

Like any rookie, Wilson said his stomach was full of butterflies before his first NFL preseason game, but the Boise State product said, "The big thing is communication on the field. That calms you down."

Surprisingly, the Giants threw only two balls in Wilson's direction, completing one for a short gain. No doubt, pressure the Jets' pass rush put on Manning, who was knocked out of the game, made it tough to attack Wilson.

"Obviously, I expected worse," Wilson said. "I expect them to come at me every play . . . I'm learning cornerback and nickel. It's two different games. It's a big learning curve, but I think I'm doing an OK job. It's important to lean on the vets."

It would be nice if Wilson had one more veteran DB to lean on for advice, but without Revis, the Jets have to lean on the rookie to help them hold it together.