When Darrelle Revis signed with the New England Patriots, the widely held belief was that Bill Belichick would use the star cornerback in a Rex Ryan-like manner.
This, of course, is the Revis Island method: Assign Revis to the opposition's top wide receiver, then watch him relentlessly hound the doomed pass-catcher for three hours.
Interestingly, Revis hasn't been used that way thus far in Patriots camp. Ben Volin of The Boston Globe noted Tuesday that Revis strictly has lined up on the left side of the field in practice, while Brandon Browner has played on the right side.
"Revis Island has become Revis Hemisphere," Volin quipped.
Will it stay that way? Browner exclusively played on the right side during his time with the Seattle Seahawks, a fact the Pats surely took into account when they signed him to a three-year contract in the offseason.
It's possible the Pats are thinking of using the Seattle secondary as a model, with Revis playing Richard Sherman's left corner role. The Seahawks have found great success in a scheme that mixes man-to-man and cover-3.
Browner's looming four-game suspension clouds things here, as does the fact that we're still just 10 days into training camp. Things can change ... quickly. But for now, Revis' role is different.
Let's just not take any of this speculation as a sign that Revis is no longer, well, Revis. Case in point:
The latest Around The League Podcast makes sense of Andy Dalton's new contract and takes a look at the Giants' evolving backfield.
