Rex, Woody visit helped seal Revis deal for Jets

Football Betting Lines

09/07/2010 -

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) - Darrelle Revis and Rex Ryan looked at each other, huddled in a conference room in Florida, and immediately knew they had the same game plan.

The New York Jets' star cornerback wanted to get back on the football field.

The brash and boisterous coach badly wanted him there.

``He was smiling like he took a trip to Disney World,'' Revis recalled Monday. ``I was smiling back because this is like a home to me, the New York Jets. It was just good to see him and work something out when we were down there to try to get me back up here.''

Revis signed a four-year deal Monday, ending a 36-day holdout that included some acrimonious moments between his agents and general manager Mike Tannenbaum. There were also plenty of doubts that the All-Pro cornerback would play this season.

Perhaps the most crucial moment of the negotiations came Saturday, when both Ryan and owner Woody Johnson flew to Revis' home in South Florida to meet with him, his mother Diana Gilbert and uncle and former NFL player Sean Gilbert to try to solve the contract impasse.

``I think that was a breakthrough, them coming down because I haven't seen them,'' Revis said. ``It was talks with my agents and Tannenbaum most of the time. I just thought when they both came down, it was a big step in this whole situation.''

Both Ryan and Johnson said the decision to visit Revis was a group idea, although agent Neil Schwartz said the coach reached out to them Friday night about setting it up.

``First off, I like to travel,'' a smiling Ryan said of how the trip came about. ``That was probably what one of the reasons was. We don't do things exactly by the books of other teams, but we do it our way. It's the New York Jet way.''

Both the Jets and Revis' agents spoke all weekend until they reached an agreement around 11 p.m. Sunday.

That was after Ryan lost his cool, a moment that's sure to be featured on the next episode of ``Hard Knocks'' on HBO. During a conference call between the Jets and Revis' agents, Ryan got frustrated at the sides not being able to seal the deal.

``I stormed out of there and was ripping everybody on both sides,'' he said. ``After I threw my little tantrum and the deal was getting done, they brought me back up.''

Added agent Jonathan Feinsod: ``He told us that he was going to go coach his football team and he was sick and tired of us.''

When cooler heads prevailed a few hours later, Revis had finally agreed to a deal.

``It was a long process,'' he said. ``It was rough on me. You know I'm a football player and I love to play the game and I'm happy it's over with. I can go play football now.''

Revis is expected to practice Tuesday and be ready to play in the season opener next Monday night at home against Baltimore.

``I do think we may play Revis, I'm not sure,'' Ryan quipped. ``I think he might need to practice for several weeks before we play him, but don't be shocked if he's out there.

``In other words, he's definitely playing.''

The Jets and Revis' agents declined to announce financial terms of the deal, but it is reportedly worth at least $46 million, including $32 million guaranteed. Revis said all along he wanted to be the highest-paid player at his position, something Feinsod said the Jets cornerback would be - without releasing terms.

``The numbers would reflect in our minds that he's being paid as the highest-paid cornerback,'' Feinsod said.

After months of waiting and wondering about his future, Revis was happy to be back on the field after flying up from Florida in the morning.

``This experience humbled me so much just because I love to play football,'' Revis said. ``At one point, it was something that was taken away, that I love to do. I've never had anything taken away from me that I love to do. So this was a point in my life where it was serious.''

As he walked toward his teammates on the practice field, a strange feeling came over him.

``I had butterflies,'' Revis said. ``I didn't know how my teammates were going to accept me because I haven't been here for a month.''

For a guy who routinely shuts down opponents' best wide receivers, the acknowledgment of insecurity was stunning. After some loud, welcoming cheers - including a ``Rudy'' clap - and good-natured ribbing, Revis knew he was finally back home.

``This process, I don't wish it on anybody,'' Revis said. ``I never thought it was going to turn out to be like this, to get a little bit crazy. But it's something I had to go through.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

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