Corners Revis, Sheppard have each other covered
Photo credit: Photo by Pat Orr | Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis defends against Brad Smith during training camp at SUNY Cortland, Sunday, August 2, 2009.
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CORTLAND, N.Y. - Walking side-by-side with shoulder pads in hand, Darrelle Revis and Lito Sheppard made the slow trek off the soggy turf field, having just put another training-camp practice in the books.
The Jets' Pro Bowl cornerbacks spend a lot of time together, appearing at times to be surgically joined at the hip.
When the players reported to SUNY Cortland on Thursday, Revis and Sheppard arrived at the same time, walking as a tandem from the parking lot.
Pretty soon, the two might be able to go grocery shopping for each other and stock up on whatever goodies the other one loves without even needing a list.
"When we are not practicing, I know what Lito eats, I know what Gatorade he likes," Revis said yesterday. "I know what to get. We're eating lunch together, I'll go get a Gatorade. 'You want one?' [I'll] go get him one. It's just showing respect to each other."
Since Sheppard was acquired in a trade with the Eagles in February, he and Revis have begun forging a relationship they hope will translate into positive results on the field.
Sheppard's arrival gives the Jets two cornerbacks who can play lockdown man-to-man coverage, which allows Rex Ryan's aggressive defensive scheme to be maximized to its full potential. With Sheppard opposite Revis, the Jets can throw a variety of exotic blitzes at an opponent and not worry as much about getting burned by the big play.
"Those guys are some of the best I've seen," safety Eric Smith said. "You just tell them to go cover somebody and they are going to cover them. You don't see a lot of balls thrown their way, and if you do, it's either getting batted down or picked off."
Revis already has been his usual playmaking self in training camp, shutting down his side of the field and leading to more boredom for the third-year pro.
Sheppard is seeing plenty of action, however. He picked off Kellen Clemens in yesterday's afternoon practice, showing he still has solid hands.
"I think it's good competition," said Sheppard, who's earning $3 million in base salary this season and was acquired for a 2009 fifth-round draft pick and a conditional pick in next year's draft that could be as high as a second-rounder, depending on how much he plays this season.
He added, "We are both very competitive people and we want to see each other succeed because both of our success helps this team succeed. He's a great player. When two great players come together, more gets accomplished. And that's definitely what we are trying to do along with the rest of the team."
The Bosom Buddies mentality doesn't apply only to Revis and Sheppard, though. The entire secondary has pledged an allegiance of sorts to grow as a unit, and their cohesiveness is apparent in the early going.
"It's a good thing for us just to be close and hang around with each other," Revis said. "We're not trying to separate ourselves from the offensive line or have our own group. It's just we see each other, we work with each other most of the time in the meeting rooms and we just want to be tight together.''
Notes & quotes: RB Shonn Greene rolled his right ankle during a blocking drill but didn't miss much action . . . Rex Ryan said NT Kris Jenkins (strained left calf) might be out a little longer than expected, though he's still not quite sure when he'll return.
