Sparano the 'glue' that holds offense together, says Revis

Darrelle Revis is as anxious as you are to see what the season holds.

As focused as he is on reaching the Super Bowl, the Jets All Pro cornerback is more so curious about what lays ahead for the Jets’ offense. While Revis and the defense have finished first, third and fifth overall during the Rex Ryan Era, Mark Sanchez and the offense have, at times, struggled.

This season, the Jets have a new offense and plenty of questions to answer – especially on the heels of lackluster results in preseason losses to the Bengals and Giants.

There have been flashes of impeccable play in practice – a well-executed two-minute drill, a 50-yard touchdown catch, or a play-action pass that fools the defense.

But there also have been days where Sanchez and his receivers aren’t quite on the same page.

And – as was the case in both preseason games – there are days when Sanchez is running for cover from defensive lineman.
While general manager Mike Tannenbaum (presumably) is working the phones day and night in search of roster help, the current players continue to get accustomed to Tony Sparano’s new offense.

But the results – against other teams – haven’t looked pretty thus far.

“I see the same thing you see,” Revis said with a laugh, when I asked for his take on the Jets offense. “The last previous years in preseason, we haven’t really done that well. Everything’s not in yet – game plan-wise. So I don’t know. I don’t really know how this is going to pan out. I just hope that they do what they need to do on offense.”

Revis insisted the defense doesn’t feel any added pressure to carry the load if the offense struggles this season. The Jets have finished 2-2 each year in the preseason since Rex and Sanchez have been together. Right now, the team is 0-2 heading into a critical dress rehearsal Sunday night against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

But it’s far too early to worry, Revis said.

“I’m supporting those guys,” he told me. “I think the only thing you can do is be supportive. Right now it’s still preseason. There’s nothing to push the panic button with and go from there. I have confidence in these guys. And we’ll see. We’ll just see.”

Though he’s taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the offense, Revis expressed confidence in Sparano’s coaching style. He may not be on the offensive side of the ball, but the cornerback still can see the tangible results of Sparano’s influence.

“I think Sparano’s doing a great job with it,” Revis said. “Just him being there and being that guy. I think he’s the anchor. I think he’s the glue that holds it together, by his attitude and his passion. I could see that. So Mark has to do the other leadership on the field, but I see Sparano making them disciplined by getting out of that huddle quick, he’s screaming, ‘This is not right! No, you’re supposed to be getting back in the huddle, you a-hole!’ Those types of things. So you can see he’s disciplined and he’s trying to teach them so they can be set and ready to play.”

As several players have already noted this offseason, Sparano’s coaching style is not even close to that of Brian Schottenheimer.

“I think the previous years, it was more laidback,” Revis said. “Now I think the offense is buying into Sparano’s offensive system. That’s his coaching style – how he yells, and he’s very passionate about the game. So I think they really buy into it and you can see them running out of the huddle, getting to the line fast, making sure they’ve got the right checks and doing what they need to do.”