Darrelle Revis' surgery on Tuesday

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets star cornerback Darrelle Revis, who will have surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, predicted Monday he will return to his elite level for the 2013 season.

"Once I get back to 100 percent, to me there's no question I (will) be back to where I was," Revis said, commenting for the first time since suffering the season-ending injury three weeks ago in Miami.

But Revis, 27, acknowledged he will have to prove himself to the organization before landing a long-term contract extension. He's signed through 2013, and there's a clause in his current deal that prohibits the Jets from using the franchise tag.

"I'm sure it might raise people's eyebrows with how I'm going to look when I come back," he said. "I'm OK with that. I wouldn't expect anything less. I just know I work hard and I'm going to treat it like any other offseason."

The Jets had planned to re-sign Revis before the 2013 season -- he signed a four-year, $46 million contract at the start of the 2010 season -- but the injury could complicate matters. Revis declined to speculate on his future, saying he wants to focus on getting healthy.

“

Once I get back to 100 percent, to me there's no question I (will) be back to where I was.

” -- Darrelle Revis

The surgery will be performed by Russell Warren, the New York Giants' team doctor. The doctors will replace the ACL with a patellar tendon graft. Revis said he should be jogging in 12 to 16 weeks. He didn't want to comment on when he expected to get back to football activities, but it generally takes six to nine months.

Aside from his torn ACL, there was no other damage in Revis' knee, a source told ESPNNewYork.com. After the surgery, Revis will spend the first 10 to 14 days rehabbing at the Jets' facility under head trainer John Mellody. Revis eventually will head to Arizona, where he spends part of every offseason training at a sports-performance center.

Revis, researching the injury, said he has spoken to a number of athletes who experienced ACL tears, including Adrian Peterson, Donovan McNabb and teammates Antonio Cromartie and Sione Po'uha. He was hurt in a non-contact play against the Dolphins as he tried to defend a screen pass in the open field.

"It felt like somebody had a knife and stuck it through my knee," he said. "That's the feeling I got from trying to make the cut. It's crazy because I've made that cut a thousand million times. Looking at it on film, it didn't look like much. I guess it was meant to happen."

Revis was trailed into Monday's news conference by a camera crew, complete with boom microphones. A documentary of his rehabilitation, from start to finish, is being produced.

"It's cool," he said. "I'm just taking it in stride and trying to have fun with it."

Revis has spent the last three weeks at the Jets' facility, trying to strengthen his knee before surgery. He hasn't attended any meetings but has interacted with teammates, trying to encourage them during a two-game losing streak. The Jets won their first game without Revis on Sunday, blowing out the Indianapolis Colts, 35-9.

"Sky's the limit (for this team), no matter if your best player is on the field or not," Revis said. "Guys have to step up, guys have to perform. That's the way it is and that's what they're trying to do."

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Rich Cimini

ESPNNewYork.com

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Rich Cimini, longtime Jets beat writer for the New York Daily News and a Syracuse graduate, covers Gang Green for ESPNNewYork.com.
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