Sportswatch: Return of Revis ends 'Hard Knocks'

'Hard Knocks" 2010 concluded last night with the happy ending some saw as inevitable, but that did not reach its conclusion until providing the dramatic arc for the five-week series.

Yup, Darrelle Revis showed up in Florham Park in time to play against the Ravens in the opener, in time to sign his new contract on HBO and in time to have the final words:

"Jets on three: One, two, three, Jets!"

And that was that. Now all the Jets have to do is win games - a lot of them - to live up to the hype the program helped stoke.

The Gang Green version of "Hard Knocks" mostly was the Rex Ryan show from the start, and it remained Ryan's show to the end. Perhaps the single most memorable moment of the series was a scene that was talked about after Revis signed but which had not been seen publicly.

It happened sometime Sunday, when Ryan listened to Revis' agent on a speaker phone, then walked out of a meeting room disgustedly.

"I'm gonna go coach this team, get 'em ready for Baltimore, so I'm done,"' he said. "You know the way the owner feels. I can't believe we can't get a damn deal done.

"It's a -- joke. Three years left on a -- contract. Watch Monday night. Watch what the -- happens."

The Jets officials left in the room sat in stunned silence for a few seconds, then general manager Mike Tannenbaum said, "What's the negotiation playbook say to do now?"

Later that night, the contract was signed.

Even though the Revis signing capped the show, most of it was dedicated not to Ryan or the team's stars but to the fringe roster players trying to make it before, during and after the final preseason game.

That annual drama has been at the heart of "Hard Knocks'' from the start, and the season finale gave fans a close look at several players on the bubble, most of whom fell short.

The saddest scene was running back Chauncey Washington ignoring a celebratory cake his family had made in anticipation of him making the team. He knew he was at risk. He landed on the practice squad.

Most took the news calmly, but fullback Jason Davis, who had been fuming about his lack of work as the third fullback on the depth chart, was defiant.

He vowed to come after the team when he faces the Jets with another team. "That's just the way it's got to be," he said.

Tannenbaum praised his spunk.