“No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” – John Donne
You might be surprised to learn I subscribe to Men’s Journal. Maybe it was the sub-head which got my attention: Live The Interesting Life. I’m entirely up for that. Always have been.
Anyway, there’s an article – as told to Sean Cunningham – in a now not so recent issue entitled “The Art of the Corner: Inside The Mind Of Darrelle Revis.” The single page of copy is preceded by five pages of a fashion layout wherein the NFL star models much the same outfits I wore sixty years ago. Tweed, vests, argyle, bow ties… very preppy.
Revis is – was – considered the top shutdown defender in the NFL with all the physical tools for greatness but “the secret to his success has more to do with a fanatical devotion to understanding and outwitting his opponents.”
I am thinking I can be as fanatical as the next guy.
Unless, of course, he is an actual fanatic. Then I am not so sure.
But I wouldn’t try me.
Revis breaks down his craft into ten elements.
Study hard. Watch film for hours. Study your opponents’ body language. Look for tells.
Quicken your step. Flexibility is important. Stay loose. Get strong.
Glad hand the refs. Treat the dealer with respect. Be polite to all waitresses.
Trust your intuition. Weigh your options as a student of the game. Study your opponents and be confident with your reads.
Make a push. Disrupt the other players’ timing as much as possible. Try to get the other guy out of his comfort zone.
Watch their eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul, someone once said. Which explains the propensity for sunglasses.
Play dirty. We don’t mean you should cheat. We do mean, be sneaky.
It’s only a corner if you don’t cut it.
Ignore Tom Brady. Some of your opponents won’t have a reliable tell. Study them, but do not allow yourself to become confused. You have to know what you want to do.
…and Twitterface Ochocinco Whomever. Forget trash talkers. They are just trying to get you off your game. And you really, truly don’t care what they have to say.
Forget mistakes. Revis explains, “A favorite motto for DBs [defensive backs] is ‘Have a short memory.’ If you get beat, don’t dwell. Don’t beat yourself up. It’ll get you out of your game. Move on.”
Revis, who held out all of training camp, injured himself during the first game of the regular season.
And he was ineffective ever thereafter, seems like.
So, permit me to suggest some final words of advice: show up on time in shape to play your best.
Get vaccinated. Wear a mask if you should.
And, for God’s sake, don’t get crosswise with your HOA.