Perhaps that's why when he took an interception 32 yards for his first NFL touchdown last week against Arizona, he threw the ball into the stands, instead of saving it for himself.

Maybe he simply doesn't have enough room in his burgeoning trophy case at the moment.

Or, as Revis said after that game, "I'm expecting more in the future, so I'll be all right."

That's an unusual bit of bravado from the quietly confident Revis, but it's certainly not misplaced.

When his old high school retired his jersey, Revis joined such Aliquippa luminaries as Hall of Famer Mike Ditka and two of Revis' mentors, Ty Law and Sean Gilbert, the former standout NFL defensive lineman who is Revis' uncle.

Revis was surprised this honor happened so soon.

"That's a big accomplishment," the Jets' cornerback said Monday, "to be so young and have that shirt retired. It's just something I can be happy for and my family can be happy for."

Perhaps his alma mater recognized something that his teammates have noticed, that is, that in only his second year in the NFL, Revis already seems like a full-fledged star.

"I don't look at him as a second-year guy," said Dwight Lowery, a fourth-round draft pick from San Jose State, who has started every game at cornerback as a rookie this season, much the same way Revis did last year.

"I look at him," Lowery added, "as a guy who can do big things. I feel he looks at himself in that way, too. Confidence has a big thing to do with that. He's a very confident guy."

Revis had his first two-interception game in the NFL against the Cardinals and has three picks this season, after having three as a rookie. He is becoming even more of a ballhawk despite the fact that opponents are wary of testing him.

"I like his work ethic," coach Eric Mangini said recently. "I think that there hasn't been a sense of (him saying), 'OK, I played a year, I've done some good things, I can kind of relax.' He has looked at it as, 'OK, I played a year at one level, how can I play this year at a higher level?' That was really Darrelle's defining characteristic in college and it has carried over.

"I don't see any effect of success or fame, money and any of that stuff," Mangini added. "He has been a pretty consistent guy. He's competitive. He doesn't like to get beat at anything. You see it every day at practice. ... He just doesn't like to get beat, and that's what you want."

Revis and the rest of the Jets' secondary are ready for another challenge Sunday against Cincinnati, which despite its 0-5 record boasts plenty of talent at receiver. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is second in the AFC with 31 receptions, and although the re-christened Chad Ocho Cinco's mouth has overshadowed his play so far, he still can be a dangerous playmaker.

"They've got three great receivers," Revis said of Cincinnati, making sure to include Chris Henry, who was reinstated to the active roster for the loss to Dallas on Sunday after sitting out the first four games for violating the NFL's policy on conduct. "They're going to try to get (the ball) to their playmakers."

And it will be up to one of the Jets' biggest playmakers to stop them from doing that.