File Under: Darrelle Revis, David Harris, Kerry Rhodes, passes defensed, tackles for loss
01/10 — You don't need me to tell you Darrelle Revis and David Harris were two excellent rookies, but I had that assertion underscored for me as I completed the compilation of my defensive stats for the season.
Harris led the Jets, of course, in total tackles with 117 by the coaches' video breakdown, with all of them coming from Game 3 on since he wasn't used much on defense in the first two games.
And the Michigan LB also starred in a special type of tackle, those for loss/no gain. That's an unofficial stat that some refer to as "stuffs," although I keep track of the tackles on no-gainers as well as losses, since loss/no gain is also the criterion used to determine whether a quarterback is sacked or not on a scramble back to the line of scrimmage.
And Harris certainly had the stuff of rookie greatness this year. He had 9.5 tackles at or behind the line, more than by any Jets rookie other than Jonathan Vilma in 2004 in the last decade. Bryan Thomas came in second in TFLNGs with 7.5, followed by Kerry Rhodes at 6.
(In fact, if you want to throw out the no-gainers, Rhodes actually led the Jets in tackles for loss with 5.5, ahead of Harris' 5.0.)
As for Revis, the rookie from Pitt and Pittsburgh excelled in pass defenses or PDs. This is another unofficial category, not kept by the Elias Sports Bureau for the NFL's record book. As a result, just as for tackles and forced fumbles, the record-keepers involved can have differing definitions and standards for what is a PD and what isn't.
For instance, the coaches gave Revis 13 PDs this season. I had him for 15. And Stats Inc. said 17.
No matter which number you use, Revis impressively led the Jets in pass defenses this season. No other Jets rookie since the mid-Nineties had as many in a season. And Stats Inc. lists him as the top rookie in breakups.
"There was stuff I didn't expect," Revis told me about his rookie year today during a photo shoot for Getty Images inside and outside the Jets' practice facility. "This is a man's game. You have to stand up and challenge yourself with what the coaches and the opponents throw at you. You've got to keep pushing, working harder, stronger and better."
I'll have more on that photo shoot in a Radar entry in the coming days. For now, here are the Jets' top rookies in tackles for loss/no gain and pass defenses since 1995:
| Year | Player | TFLNG | Year | Player | PD |
| 1996 | DE Bobby Hamilton | 11.0 | 2007 | CB Darrelle Revis | 15 |
| 2004 | LB Jonathan Vilma | 10.5 | 2004 | S Erik Coleman | 13 |
| 2007 | LB David Harris | 9.5 | 1996 | CB Marcus Coleman | 10 |
| 1997 | LB James Farrior | 8.0 | 2005 | S Kerry Rhodes | 8 |
Frank Said:
Mon, January 14, 2008 - 11:05am EDT"the Kendall debacle poorly handled by Tangini, That Brick would be exposed, That Clemens would be the starter and the Jets would win 6 games which as a fan I was being optimistic. Starting right nown Mangini needs to be accountable for his actions and he better adapt and admit to his mistakes and shortcomings or we will have a repeat of this year."
diver Said:
Tue, January 15, 2008 - 3:02am EDT"until we get an o-line--and a really good one!--we're all just wasting our time dreaming about how good gang green can be...first and foremost, WE NEED AN OFFENSIVE LINE. without that, chad, kellen, t. jones--and the jets!--will never succeed. with the pats' o-line, any one of these guys might be all-pro."
Row Said:
Sun, January 20, 2008 - 2:44pm EDT"We do need another QB, but as a backup. There is no college QB in the nation that can make us a playoff team next year, so that's out of the question. The only QB I could see improvement with is McNabb, if he decided to ask to be traded. Why do people always talk about the Pats and if we had whatever? This is the real world, at least talk about real things."
Drew Said:
Thu, January 10, 2008 - 6:38pm EDT"These kids are complete studs. Along with Rhodes they will head our D for years to come. As much as I have raved about my boy Harris I am equally excited about Revis. I really hope we can make some noise in FA and in this draft. It will not take much to get us back to the playoffs"