Revis Replaces Talib

Revis Island is taking his show to the Patriots

In response to Denver's poaching of Aqib Talib on the first day of free agency, the New England Patriots didn't take long to find a replacement. They sprung into action on Day 2, inking cornerback Darrelle Revis to a one-year, $12 million deal.

While I'm generally not a fan of knee jerk reactions such as this one, it's hard to find too much fault with this one. Yes, $12 million is a lot of money, but Revis's reputation and track record say he deserves it. He turns 29 over the summer, which is a bit older than I'd like, but still young enough to have the necessary agility and athletecism required to play the position.

Plus, the Patriots had to replace Talib, and Revis was about as good as a replacement option as they were going to find. Talib's probably better at this stage in their careers (and younger, too), but Revis has demonstrated a better ability to stay healthy  Revis has played all 16 regular season games five times, something Talib has yet to do.

Granted, Revis is not the elite defender he was before 2012, when he played only two games before tearing his ACL, but with Tampa Bay last year he proved that he's still pretty good. The five-time Pro Bowler played in all 16 games and was named SN Comeback Player of the Year. Another year removed from surgery, he could be more like his old self in 2014.

The Patriots had better hope so. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's fourth Super Bowl ring could depend on it.