Revis, Ryan Clear the Air

All is right between Rex Ryan and Darrelle Revis, the New York Jets' coach said Wednesday.

As expected, Ryan met Tuesday night with Revis to discuss the star cornerback's highly-publicized, mini-protest Monday at minicamp. Ryan told ESPNNewYork.com Wednesday morning that he's satisfied with Revis' explanation on why he sat out a few plays at the end of the morning practice.

Ryan, in a phone interview, called it "a great talk. It's funny because, when it's a football thing, we definitely see eye to eye. He knows what I expect of him and vice versa. We definitely see eye to eye."

Revis created a firestorm by telling reporters that he asked out of practice as a way to make a statement about being unhappy with stalled contract negotiations. He also said he was lightheaded, insisting that, too, was a factor.

Ryan was somewhat evasive when asked if Revis mentioned the contract situation as a reason for sitting out.

"He told me the same thing, that he was lightheaded," Ryan said. "That was not an exaggeration. That's not who he is. He's a leader. Nobody works harder than Revis, with the exception of Mark Sanchez. That's who he is. That's what we talked about.

"The great thing is, he never has to apologize to me. Just go out, be yourself and that will be good enough for me."

Revis couldn't be reached for immediate comment, but he should be available later Wednesday at the New Meadowlands Stadium, where the Jets will close the three-day minicamp with their first practice in the new $1.6 billion facility.

On Tuesday, Revis said he wanted to meet with Ryan because "this is the beginning of stuff turning bad. We'll try to see eye to eye and do it the right way."

Revis, perhaps unwittingly, put his coach in a difficult spot Monday. Ryan found out from reporters about the protest. Some within the organization were upset that it went down that way. Revis suggested that he told secondary coach Dennis Thurman, but Thurman told ESPNNewYork.com Tuesday that Revis never mentioned anything about the sit-out being contract-related.

"I actually said, 'Is this legitimate?' " Thurman said. "He goes, 'Yeah.' Any statement he might have been trying to make, he wasn't making it as far as I was concerned. If he had another agenda, you'll have to ask him. To me, there was nothing behind it."

The two sides are trying to renegotiate Revis' contract, which has three years remaining, but they're far apart. Revis wants to be the highest-paid cornerback in the league, seeking at least $16 million a year. The Jets are believed to be offering about $10 million per year, but with no guaranteed money, sources said. Revis called that an "insult."

The non-guaranteed money is an insult. At least if they offered him $10 million a year guaranteed it would be progress. In that respect, Revis is right. But as I stated yesterday, they way he went about it is completely wrong.

It's a good thing that Revis and Ryan sat down to discuss this. If they hadn't, this could've been a nasty situation heading into training camp. Revis knows he is a team leader and needs to show that on the field. He is one of those players that could miss all of training camp and be ready for the season, but that's just not the kind of person or player he is.

Hopefully the Jets get this done quickly and then move on to securing Nick Mangold, David Harris and D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Imagine a season with an unhappy Darrelle Revis. It wouldn't be pretty.