Is It Weird If I Don't Hate Revis?

We're Patriots fans. We love the Pats. We hate the Jets. It's in our blood. Mark Sanchez is pathetic. Rex Ryan is fat. Antonio Cromartie can't count to 20. LT is the human anti-Superbowl. Ditto for Jason Taylor. I could rattle off something derogatory for every single player on the Jets, the Yankees, the Lakers, the Canadiens -- it's just what we're wired to do as Boston sports fans.

But then there are guys like Mariano Rivera. Derek Jeter. Derek Fisher. Patrick Roy. Guys that play for your hated enemy and give you fits year in and year out -- but you respect them. They're the few exceptions to the overall hatred for their squad. Why the hell am I starting to feel that way about Darrelle Revis?

This guy was a holdout for all of training camp and into the early season. "Revis Island" and all that showboating, self-centered activity clearly labeled himself as a prick. But for some strange reason, I don't mind him. He seems to be maturing and, at the very least, saying reasonable things in the media. Because let's be honest -- that's why we despise the Jets, more than any other factor. It's their obnoxious behavior and media approach. Maybe it's just because he's the only Jets cornerback who can spell his own name, but something about Revis at least invokes a little bit of respect out of me.

Leading up to the divisional round matchup, Antonio Cromartie called Brady an asshole. Classy. But to my surprise, Revis merely praised Brady and how good of a quarterback, how good of a competitor he is. Who are you, the Patriots? The Jets don't praise the other team. That was the initial wake up for me. And since that win, I haven't heard much out of Revis. Took the same approach against Pittsburgh. And now he's headed to Honolulu, where he's taking practice reps alongside Patriots rookie cornerback Devin McCourty. When asked about the potential issues between New England and New York players at this week's Pro Bowl, Revis took the high road again.

"On and off the field we're cool, it's nothing personal," he said. "I'm not into the 'I hate the Patriots' type thing. It's all good."

Maybe it's just in comparison to the overly ridiculous Antonio Cromartie that Revis looks reasonable of late, but a part of me is starting to respect him. I mean, if he's behaving and being respectful, it's tough to hate on the guy. Especially when he shuts your team down pretty successfully. We demolished him on December 6th, but it's irrelevant. We're not about December wins. It's January and February we pride ourselves on. Here's a guy who is doing a lot to stop that success, and -- lately, anyway -- taking the high road. I still despise the New York Jets and everything about them, but I have a growing respect for Revis.

PS - I reserve the right to change this opinion at any moment in time from now to infinity.