NFL legend Darrell Revis launched a brutal dig at Asante Samuel after the two-time Super Bowl winner claimed the New York media has overrated him and current New York Jets star Sauce Gardner.
"The New York media will take your career to another level," former New England Patriots star corner Samuel tweeted in response to ESPN's cornerback rankings, which had 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year Gardner in second place behind Denver Broncos standout Patrick Surtain II.
"It's the NY media. What did Revis do so special? I'll wait... It's documented what great cornerbacks did in the stats."
The media in New York is known for its influence and the hype it can generate, but ESPN's rankings were based on input from players, coaches, scouts and executives, as Gardner, 22, was quick to point out.
He wrote: "The tweet literally says those were the cornerback rankings by players, executives, scouts and coaches… I’m trynna (sic) figure out why you keep bringing up NY Media."
Revis, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer after a glittering career with the Jets and Patriots, was also quick to have his say on Samuel's claims, sharing some unfortunate memories from the former Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles man's career.
First, 37-year-old Revis – widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation – shared a tale from his time with the Jets when they were instructed to target Samuel's weaknesses.
“I really don’t know much about this guy," he said. "(I) never was inspired to watch his film but something does jog my memory. I do remember we played Falcons and Rex Ryan made a highlight clip of him being doubled-moved on almost every single route.
“I recall Rex saying to receivers in our weekly team meetings. The game plan was if he line up across from you, double-move him every time. So in practice, our receivers referred to him as the 'double move king'. I never viewed him more than what was said about him in the scouting report."
Then Revis turned to the nadir of the outspoken Samuel's impressive NFL career, which included four Pro Bowl appearances. In the closing stages of Super Bowl 42 in 2008, Samuel dropped what should have been a simple interception that would have secured the Lombardi Trophy for the Pats and a perfect 19-0 season.
Instead, Eli Manning and the New York Giants claimed a dramatic 17-14 win to deny Tom Brady and the Pats a fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons, with Plaxico Burress' game-winning touchdown coming just 30 seconds after Samuel's error.
"A high school cornerback could have picked this pass off," Revis said in a since-deleted tweet. "This goes to show you ain't elite. Could have been a hero but you choked and cost your team and Tom Brady a Super Bowl."
Brady finished his career with seven Super Bowl rings, winning six with the Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in February.
While he enjoyed more glory than any other player in his career, Brady will hold regrets over the missed chance to have an unprecedented perfect season on his record.
Samuel's son, Asante Samuel Jr, has followed in his father's footsteps and plays cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers. The 22-year-old did not feature in ESPN's top-10 rankings, nor was he included in the honourable mentions section. The 2021 second-round pick has four interceptions in two seasons.
