Darrelle Revis held out of Jets practice with sore hamstring

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Darrelle Revis had every intention of stepping onto the practice field. But the Jets had a different game plan.

His history of hamstring injuries has given them pause, and when Revis complained of hamstring tightness after Saturday's practice, the team chose not to take any chances.

Before the cornerback could return to the field after individuals drills Sunday morning, secondary coach Dennis Thurman motioned him to the sideline. Revis tried to argue his case, insisting that he was healthy enough to practice. But head trainer John Mellody stepped in and shut down Revis Island.

Though cleared to participate in individual drills, the All-Pro was forced to sit out 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. He stressed that the injury was not serious and did not require an MRI. Revis, who expects to be back on the practice field Monday, also said it wasn't contract-related.

"I knew you were going to bring that up. Come on now," he said, responding to a reporter who questioned the legitimacy of his absence from practice. "Nah, it has nothing to do with that. I'm here. If I wasn't going to be here, I would have held out. That's not the case."

Revis did feign feeling ill during a minicamp practice in 2010 -- the same year he was seeking a new contract. He sat out the final series of 11-on-11 drills, initially telling reporters he was "a little lightheaded." But it didn't take long for him to expose his real motive. "I sat out for a little bit," he fessed up. "Something to let them know that I can play and I cannot play."

Sunday, though, Revis insisted that he and the team are just being cautious. "I just think it's just the process of just getting back into it," he said. "We ran a conditioning test the day before. And we've been doing a lot of work. Practice has been a little bit more intense this year. And I think that's because of coach [Tony] Sparano coming in, and it's kind of a faster pace for the offense now."

Revis wouldn't specifically say which hamstring was bothering him, but he said it's not the same one (left) that has hampered him in recent years. After his 36-day holdout in 2010, he suffered a strained hamstring that became a recurring issue throughout the season. He missed two games and it cropped up again as the Jets prepared for the AFC title game.

"Just a little bit of tightness," Revis said of his latest setback. "We loosened it up this morning, and actually it felt great going out to practice. I did individual [drills], and I felt great, but they just told me to sit out. I have had a lot of hamstring problems. This is just something where we try to take care of it before it even occurs."

Rex Ryan wasn't concerned but said, "If we were playing a game, I'd be concerned. And he'd be playing."

Because of Revis' injury history, Ryan said it's important to be cautious. "Any time you're in that kind of situation with any player, it's like, 'Whoo, wait. Hold the brakes,' " he said. "Let's not do something foolish."