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Jets CB Revis says he's up to task of shutting down Moss again

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Darrelle Revis has heard enough about his last matchup with Randy Moss. The New York Jets' cornerback just wants to move on to the next one.

"No more Randy Moss and Bill Belichick questions," Revis said Friday, shaking his head. "This game is bigger than egos here. It's bigger than me, it's bigger than Randy Moss and it's bigger than Belichick. Our goal is we want to get this win Sunday."

The struggling Jets (4-5) sorely need it after losing five of their last six games, and their chances Sunday at New England might depend on whether or not Revis can blanket Moss as he did in their Week 2 meeting. Moss had just four catches for 24 yards in New York's 16-9 victory.

"It's always great to compete against the best," Revis said. "It brings out the best in me and it brings out the best in those guys. I still give respect to all of the receivers that I go up against."

Even if it isn't always reciprocated. After the Week 2 loss, Moss refused to give Revis total credit for keeping him quiet on the field.

"All week, he was talking about being a shutdown corner," Moss said, "but there are no shutdown corners in the league because they have help most of the game."

That's simply not the case, according to Revis and Jets coach Rex Ryan.

"I'll just put it this way: Having Revis allows us to do things that most people don't do or have the courage to play against him," Ryan said. "That's man coverage, to man up and say, 'All right, here we are.'"

And, just for good measure, Ryan heaped the ultimate praise on Revis.

"All I can say is we've got the best corner in the league," the coach said, "and I don't think there's any dispute about that."

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Moss has been quiet this week, and Revis has maintained his composure at the Jets' facility when constantly asked about the Patriots' wide receiver. Revis did grow a little testy during a conference call Wednesday with New England reporters, who kept pressing him on the man-to-man coverage question.

"In this league, there's mixed opinions," Revis said Friday. "People have different opinions, and if that's how he feels, that's how he feels. I still have to play and we've still got to play on Sunday. I just like to leave my talk on the field and go from there. Whatever he says, he says. That's it."

Bill Belichick acknowledged Revis' talent, but the Patriots' coach also said the cornerback benefited at times by having safety Kerry Rhodes backing him up against Moss.

"They played over the top of him quite a bit, not always, but quite a bit," Belichick said. "Revis is a good player. He matches up against basically every team's best receiver. ... He's a good, solid all-around player. He doesn't have any weaknesses."

Ryan said one thing's for sure: Revis was in man coverage when he intercepted a Tom Brady pass in the first matchup.

"We call it Cover One and some teams call it Cover Zero," Ryan said. "It's just man to man and you've got a center fielder. Kerry had great range on that play. If they think it's Cover Two, then hopefully they think it's Cover Two this week, too."

Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine couldn't put a number on the plays in which Revis was entirely man to man with Moss.

"What I do know is this, there were a lot of times where he covered him where it wouldn't have mattered if he had help or not," he said. "He was all over the route. He did a great job, and our plan will be similar again. We'll mix what we do and have him matched up on him and know that will be a focal point. I'm sure it will be fun to watch."

It's easy to forget that Revis is in just his third NFL season after being a first-round draft pick out of Pittsburgh in 2007. He already has made a Pro Bowl and created some long afternoons for some of the game's top receivers besides Moss, including Houston's Andre Johnson, New Orleans' Marques Colston and Buffalo's Terrell Owens.

And that's just this season.

"Honestly, I think he's the best corner in the league," said Patriots tight end Chris Baker, a former Jets teammate of Revis'. "Each year, he's taken a big step forward, and this year, he's obviously gone out and taken another big step."

Whether Revis receives credit from Moss or not.

"I've seen Moss, this will be my sixth game, so there's not anything new here," Revis said. "It's just competition. It's a big game for us to try to go up there and get this win."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

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