Revis will try to beat team he used to love
Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis speaks to the media prior to the 2011 AFC Championship game. (Jan. 17, 2011) Credit: Joe Epstein
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The details are a bit fuzzy after all these years.
Darrelle Revis barely can remember the specifics of those monumental games for Aliquippa (Pa.) High School. He just remembers the feeling:
The feeling of defeating Jeannette, 18-4, at Heinz Field - the stadium he adored and the home of his childhood team, the Pittsburgh Steelers - on the way to the PIAA championship game against Northern Lehigh two weeks later.
Revis, who served as a quarterback, tailback, receiver, cornerback and kick returner as a senior, single-handedly won the Quips a state title, scoring five touchdowns in a 32-27 comeback win over Northern Lehigh in Hershey in December 2003.
"You know what? My mind-set was just winning the game and being champions," said the Jets cornerback, a native of Aliquippa, a city just northwest of Pittsburgh.
Revis had three rushing touchdowns, scored on a punt return and returned a blocked field-goal attempt by Northern Lehigh. "I didn't know what I did until after the game, when people were patting me on my back and saying, 'You scored this many ways,' and I'm like, 'OK,' '' he said. "I didn't know until I really, really started thinking about it."
Revis likely will be flooded with even more memories from his high school days when he returns to Heinz Field for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Steelers.
The Jets eked out a 22-17 win over Pittsburgh during Week 15 of the regular season. But so much more is on the line now. Especially for Revis.
After growing up cheering for the Steelers, the cornerback can clinch a trip to the Super Bowl by beating them.
"This would put the icing on the cake if we win this game," he said with a smile.
The levity within the Jets' locker room Monday was palpable, the result of a shocking 28-21 win over top-seeded New England on Sunday.
But the toughest hurdle is yet to come, Revis said.
"We know every week is going to be a tough task ahead, and this week is going to be a tough week as well," he said. "It's going to be two hard-nosed teams going at it. But we know that. Right now, the hump is winning this game."
The Super Bowl is so close, Revis can feel it. But first he has to take care of business in the area in which he grew up.
The image of Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning mounting a comeback in last's year AFC title game, which the Jets led 17-6 in the first half, is indelibly etched in Revis' mind. So are the numerous turnovers and mental lapses that resulted in a 30-17 loss to Indianapolis.
"We just can't make mistakes on defense," he said. "This is a game of inches. We all know that. You're four quarters away from a Super Bowl, so you have to play almost a perfect game to get there. And that's what we need to do."
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