Darrelle Revis says he’ll be physical with Calvin Johnson

It’s an interesting tactic for Revis, who gives up a significant height advantage and almost 40 pounds of weight to the league’s best receiver. Johnson has been near-unstoppable in 2013, catching 59 passes for more than 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s the only wide receiver in the league to have double-digit touchdowns, and six weeks remain in the season. To put Johnson’s numbers in perspective he would be a top-20 receiver from last year, and he’s played in 10 games.

None of this scares Revis.

“My thought was always just to be physical with him,” Revis said. “No receiver wants to get jammed and pressed at the line, so just be physical with those guys and match what they bring to the table.”

The jury is still out whether Revis can be the difference maker the Buccaneers hoped when they sent their first-round pick to New York in a trade before the draft. He’s recovering from injury, but on pace to have a career-low in passes defended, while Tampa Bay rank 18th in the league in pass defense.

Down year or not, Johnson certainly respects what the veteran cornerback can do and isn’t overlooking the matchup because of his considerable size advantage.

“He’s a lot stronger than the normal corner you’ll face on a regular day,” Johnson said.

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