Revis Ready For Tough Matchup Against Bears' Brandon Marshall
BOSTON (CBS) -- Darrelle Revis returned to practice for the New England Patriots on Wednesday, preparing to cover another big wide receiver this weekend.
In all likelihood, Revis will be matched up with Brandon Marshall when the Patriots host the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon at Gillette. It's a matchup that Revis has plenty of experience with in the past, given Marshall's two-year stay in the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins. There was even a little beef between the two after Marshall suggested Revis gets special treatment from the refs following a 2011 pick-six he had against Marshall and the Dolphins.
But it sounds like all of that is in the past, with Revis singing Marshall's praises on Wednesday.
"He's a great receiver," Revis said of Marshall. "He's smart and he's big. He's very physical at the line – a possession type receiver. He can go deep as well and run after the catch."
With the 6-foot-4 Marshall and 6-foot-3 Alshon Jeffrey to deal with, the Patriots secondary will have its toughest matchup of the season. But it's a matchup they've been looking forward to since training camp began.
"We have a lot of respect for Jay Cutler, Marshall, Jeffery and (Matt) Forte. Those are the key guys, and you can't forget about Martellus Bennett as well at tight end," said Revis. "We know they have explosive players on offense, and we need to stop those guys."
Not only do the taller receivers use their height to their advantage, but they also tend to be pretty physical when making a play for the ball.
"You just have to cover them the best you can. When you play against bigger guys they usually try to shield their body and shield you away from the ball," explained Revis. "This is probably the biggest (receiving corps) yet across the board, so we just have to play through them to get to the ball."
In any head-to-head matchup, you win some and you lose some. Revis did a good job containing Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green in Week 5, holding him to just five catches for 81 yards, but the Pro Bowler broke free for a third quarter touchdown.
Revis is hoping for similar results on Sunday, minus the touchdown, of course.
"It's football. We compete, that's what we do for a living," he said. "We had our battles in the past and it's great. This week is going to be great."
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