As Gang Green Turns: Revis and Butthead

As the drama continues in the la-la land known as Jets training camp, owner Woody Johnson was the one doing more talking than his coach Rex Ryan. It seems that negotiations between the team and super-talented cornerback Darrelle Revis are going nowhere fast, and Johnson is only to happy to talk about the situation on ESPN.

The problem is that it looks increasingly more likely that Revis will sit-out the entire season. When asked directly about Revis playing even one quarter this year, Johnson said, “My gut feeling is, I would say no.” If that is the case, Woody, can we actually keep up the facade about the Jets being bound for Super Bowl? Can someone, anyone, get Rex Ryan to stop predicting this trajectory as he blathers on about it day after day?

Ryan has to know that the defense is going to suffer big time without Revis. He acknowledges Revis’s absence in camp on a daily basis, but did say that if Revis comes walking through the door, “Somebody will kiss him on the lips probably.” Did you hear that, Darrelle? Rex is carrying around his breath mints, so that alone might keep the guy away for good.

If we want to do a little finger pointing (and why not at this point?), should we blame Revis or Johnson for the stalemate that has taken place? Revis, no doubt taking a page from his uncle Sean Gilbert, who sat out the entire 1997 in a contract dispute with the Washington Redskins, could be the one to blame. We could cite utter greed and total disregard for his teammates and the fans here. No one, especially someone who is struggling each day to get by, wants to hear another spoiled sports player complaining that his million dollar contract is not enough. For a million dollars, I’d put on a uniform and run around the grass all day. Who wouldn’t?

But there is the other side of the story. Woody Johnson doesn’t seem to care too much about the team or its fans. Shouldn’t Johnson want to field the best team possible? Isn’t there something in that family vault that could be pulled out, dusted off, and spent to keep Revis happy and get him out there on the field, moving the team closer to Ryan’s bold promise of a Vince Lombardi Trophy?

Forgive me, but as I think about this situation, images of the iconic MTV idiots Beavis and Butthead keep dancing in my head. In the end, I see this inability to come to terms in contract negotiations as the fault of both parties. Come on Revis, share your remote control, and Woody, don’t be such a butthead. Sit down, watch a little ESPN together, have some popcorn, and then get the job done.