Fox Reports Kerry Rhodes Benched
Jay Glazer tweeted earlier that Kerry Rhodes has been benched in favor of Eric Smith.
If you watch the tape of the Patriots game, things sort of came to a head for Rhodes last weekend. As Corey and I went to the locker room postgame, I was talking to a reporter asked him about Rhodes, and he was surprised I thought Rhodes had such a bad game. My response, “seriously? Go watch the tape.”
After getting abused by Laurence Maroney (not someone any Patriots fan will tell you is exactly a punishing runner) more than once during the course of the game. Rhodes tackling was abysmal, as he launched himself at players not using his arms on many occasions. Beyond that, his struggles with makings plays has been well documented by reporters during the course of the season and it’s finally come to a head with Pettine and Ryan.
As a reminder, this comes on the heels of a story last week where Mike Pettine didn’t exactly defend his star safety. Here’s what Pettine said last week when asked about Rhodes and his work ethic.
I don’t have issue with it. To me, Kerry has a good feel for what we’re doing. Can we as a coaching staff police what our guys do when they’re outside the building? No. We can recommend. He’s good in the meeting room. He knows his job. There are some guys where that’s their thing. When they leave the building, they put more on their plate football wise. I think as coaches we all want to be of the mindset that our guys are all going to be gym rats and football junkies and if they leave here, they’re going to go home and study tape. Not everyone is like that. That’s just part of that. As coaches, we all want him to be like us, which probably isn’t a good thing.
Not exactly a “how dare you question his work ethic??” sort of answer.
Rhodes suspension won’t last long, and if you look at next year’s cap number according to our buddy Jason, Rhodes is basically holding the team hostage for about a $10 million hit, and there’s no way he’s going to restructure it again to the team’s favor.
Still for the team, for right now, with the way this team and he in particular are playing, this is the right move for Ryan to make at the right time. No one is immune to benching. Not even handsome, swaggerlicious, well-heeled, magazine modeling, silver screen acting, social media savvy players who had good statistical years three years ago.
Rhodes joked to the media last week that he feels like someone has a voodoo hex on him. I don’t think that it’s voodoo that’s the problem here. It anything is going on, it’s that football seems to be getting in the way of all the other stuff he seems intent on doing.
It’s time for him, and the Jets to choose what’s more important.
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Righ move.
Hopefully, this is the first in a swift series of Jetsecutions. I am not paying for PSL’s to watch this team play football.
Wow this is a big move. I agree with Kyle though, its the right thing.
We have a bunch of players who are over-confident and not playing winning football.
Hopefully this will serve as a wakeup call to the rest of the team.
As a fan, I support this move.
It’s semi-official according to Cimini. Too bad Rhodes was on SNY yesterday and not today. But I agree it serves as a major wakeup call to the rest of the team. I don’t think he was having as bad a season as people have been saying (he was doing well in run support until last week) but his tackling against NE was just horrible
Brian:
Hollowod has been more interested promoting himself OFF the field than ON. He started this self PR campaing since his contract was extended.
Fonzie was the first to all him out then and has been ridiculed and insulted for it.
Brian, some posters on this blog should own up and apologize!!!!
Trade Rhodes and Gholston to the Browns fir their 1st rounder.
If only this were Madden.
Its about time. Kerry Rhodes has played softer in the past few weeks then any safety I have ever seen. Getting trucked by Wes Welker? You have got to be kidding me. He is afraid of an injury, because it will affect his off the field endeavors, hence why he has played like girly man since his pay day. He cares more about life off the field, fine, then keep him and his amateur hour tackling ability OFF the field. If this doesn’t send a message I don’t know what will. That $10 mil. cap hit hurts, bad.
As I wrote during the bye week, Rhodes is just another expendable player on this roster. You can defend him all you want, and tell me about stats about the D, but the proof is in the record, and ours will be under 500 after the season. Reminds me of Eric McMillan, who was great for about 2 seasons, and then was exposed.
A lot of his success had to do with the extra time he put in with Jonathan Villma watching film. It was Vilma who elevated the level of his game. He apparently dose not have the discipline to watch film on his own and is more concerned with what he is going to say in front of the cameras or on twitter.
Right move…. Personally rex should of went after brian dawkins… These contracts are getting out of hand uv pay a guy 33 million to peform seems once the big contract hits the player stop playing their should be a rule if you don’t live up to you contract u shouble be able to be cut without a cap hit or if your benched u get 0 pay for the game that should wake everyone up
Even blind squirrells find a nut. I wouldn’t hold my breath for apologies from anonymous commenters Hank
Hank,
Since it is obvious you’re referring to me, among others, in that post, let me take the time to tell you that I’m not going to apologize to Fonzie. Fonzie called out Rhodes from the beginning of the season, when he was playing well. It’s the “Woody Paige” strategy of ‘if I say something outrageous all the time eventually it’ll happen’.
I’ll apologize for saying Rhodes isn’t terrible (which, until the past 2 or 3 weeks, he wasn’t) when you apologize for trying to say Mangini is a great coach. Deal?
As a fan of the Jets I supporet this move 100%.
Kerry needs to drop his “pretty boy” image and play hard nosed football. He is too worried about not getting his jersey dirty than delivering big play tackles to WR’ers such as Wes Welker. 2xs he had the chance to break up a play and Knock Welker of his “high horse”. He was destroying our secondary Sunday!
We need players with more aggresive attitudes like a Ray Lewis on Defense.
Strictland to a wipe out block Sunday from the Pats Lineman, and not 1 player from the Jets responded with Anger on the field!
Kerry is SO overated! Please trade him for a draft pick. Addition by subtraction!
McMillan is a good call, but he reminds me more of Erik Coleman, in that he made a bunch of plays when he was young, but then they started to rely on him to do too much and he got exposed. Since Coleman has been in Atlanta, he’s kind of found his feet again, so hopefully the same thing will happen with Rhodes while he is still a Jet.
Mel is right though, he played well until the last few games, even if the big plays weren’t happening. Then he started listening to his critics and has been gambling and losing a lot.
“Please trade him for a draft pick. Addition by subtraction!”
Let’s see how Eric Smith (a guy with maybe 3/4 of the range Kerry has) performs in coverage this week before we decide it’s addition by subtraction.
As for trading him, even if next year is uncapped, we believe the bulk of the dead money cap hit ($9m) will carry over to the next capped year, so that might not be a smart financial move for a team which already has a ton of financial commitments.
This may be a dumb question, but is it clear that when Rhodes is benched, he won’t play at all? It may just be that he won’t start but will play later in the game. I think sending him a message is a great move, but overall I think it could bite us in the butt because I’m not so sure that Smith will be better (or even as good as) a bad Rhodes for the whole game. I get the concept of putting in a guy who will give more effort, I just hope we’re not all lamenting how many times he got burned this time next week. Glad Rex has the balls to do it, just hope that Smith produces if Rhodes doesn’t play.
Brendan:
See, there you go again!!!!!!!!! Twisting my comments.
I have NEVER said Mangini was a great COACH!!!!!!!
What I have said is that Mangini is a great MANAGER LEARNING to be a great coach
Hank….
As I stated on an earlier post I have apologized to all for defending Rhodes.
I defended him early when he tweets and arrogance was givne people the impression that he was playing worse than he was.
The 1st 4 weeks he played “okay: His play the last 2 weeks has been brutal at best and he deserves to be benched.
If Fonzie was rational in his complaints of Rhodes he would get a direct apology but since his stance made zero sense at the time …….
Wow, Hank. No. You have called Mangini a great coach, an excellent tactician, defensive mastermind and whatever else.
The only thing he’s good at is managing a game. Congrats, he’s the highest paid administrator in the NFL.
I am not twisting comments, anyone on this site knows you relentlessly back and defend Mangini.
And for all his great managing, he probably should have thought about calling that timeout that let Stafford back on the field instead of a cold Daunte Culpepper.
My buddies and I were talking about this during the game. The Maroney “run over” can happen to anyone but his overall play the last 2 weeks especially his tackling have been really bad.
Even Simms kind of called Rhodes out during a few plays wondering whe he was over the middle. If Simms calls you out…thats bad.
Don’t let the door hit you in the ass, Kerry..
Brendan:
And FYI, I have also aid that Mangini has two inherent problems that he needs to over come if he wants to become a great coach. And I have said this from the very begginig:
1) HE IS LOYAL TO A FAULT and
2) MUST BE MORE IMOTIONAL and SHOW IT.
Question to everyone here:
If Rhodes has real friends in the locker room will they question the benching of Rhodes and not the benching of Sanchez?
Now I believe Sanchez should start and Kerry should be benched to send him ( a veteran “star” ) but can a locker room of buddies be that rational?
Can this be the begining of a spilt in the locker room?
*BoneBreaker* makes a good point
Kerry was playing better when Vilma was here. The 2 of them would watch film 2gether, as said in an interview awhile back.
Still don’t get y they let Vilma go. He was good. Now he’s sitting pretty on the Undefeated Saints.
I wonder if this goes back to last week vs. Jax — that play where Leonhard was desperately trying to get his attention, Kerry was looking the other way and then got beat deep by the tight end for the game-winning play.
This past week, on Welker’s TD, if you watch the tape, he was supposed to be Rhodes’ guy deep. Rhodes comes down into the box and gets caught up with another defender, and Welker just blows past him. I know during the game Simms said that he thought Welker was Revis’ guy, but if you watch, you can see Rhodes was supposed to have him deep.
Ok Hank, that’s it. That’s all that is standing between him and Tom Landry status.
Drew,
That’s a legitimate concern, but since this team has a good amount of vets, I think they’ll be professional about this. They realize that with their current roster of QBs that they’re best off letting Sanchez grow and get better and he can only do that on the field.
But of course, these are the Jets so it wouldn’t surprise me if they staged a freakin’ sit-in on the sideline on Sunday.
Drew – Florio asked a similar question (although his angle was “they can’t bench Sanchez otherwise Tannenbaum’s job would be in jeopardy”), but there were reports earlier this week that players were supportive of Sanchez and him being given continued opportunities to develop.
It could easily cause a rift, but then maybe that will make it easier to separate which guys he wants to keep.
Maybe the message he is sending is that lack of effort and preparation (and bad attitude, which may have been a factor) will not be tolerated, but Sanchez’s failings are not down to that, so he doesn’t want to bench a guy who is still trying hard to get better.
Maybe the fact he wants to be more involved in the offense suggests he has decided who the scapegoat is on that side of the ball.
It is the beginning of a split; those who are on board with Rex and those who are in it for themselves. If there is a divide, it makes it easier for Rex to take out the trash.
Remember what he said when he got here about cutting guys who can play football, but ultimately cutting the guys who can’t play football for Rex? This is the beginning.
Freakin’ Florio is talking crap again, saying the Jets may consider firing Tannenbaum and Ryan to bring in Cowher. And all this reporting is based on, um, well nothing really.
Bonebreaker –
I agree with you 100% and losing vilma was a big mistake by Mike T. … Undersized or whatever you want to say imagine Vilma playing in B Thomas OLB spot?
On the Rhodes benching I think its a great move I have refused to wear my $300 authentic rhodes jersey over the past two weeks and I dont know if ill ever put it on again now
Good move.
The theme song for the move is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxrWRN0aq2c
They need to do something about Rhodes the guy is a jibber jabber like Joey Porter but nowhere near backs it up with his play.
With the cap situation, I don’t know if they’ll be able to clear him off. While Eric Smith isn’t the same talent, the kid hustles and should make more an impact then Rhodes acting career (in teh patriots game Rhodes was a bowling ball ping and mauroney was the bowling ball)
http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/72792104.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193875DCB1DD8387ABBD545EDF3B00849C939F71A9C9BC19C35
R- Welker didn’t score on that play, but I know the one you mean. All three guys (Rhodes, Revis and one other) bit on a comeback route to Moss, but Welker ran down the seam and Leonhard got there late, in time to make the tackle. It’s difficult to say whose responsibility the deep route was (I agree with you that it’s more likely to be Rhodes than Revis, although maybe they were fooled by the fact that they’d usually expect Moss to go deep and Welker to be underneath). I felt this was another example of Rhodes gambling to try for a big play rather than carrying out his assignment, which he had done well for the early part of the year.
I’d add that it was a good play call and Brady obviously sold the pass to Moss to fool the defense.
With the Carolina play, it was obvious from Rhodes’ reaction (he covered Lewis to the outside) that he thought he had deep help down the middle. He initially did, until Leonhard changed up the coverage, but Rhodes never got the memo. I’m not sure whose fault that was, but it is Leonhard’s ultimate responsibility to ensure everyone knows their role before the snap. Rhodes didn’t hear, perhaps because of the crowd, or maybe he was just being a jerk and tuning Leonhard out (I doubt it, but these are things we can never know). Unfortunately, having seen Rhodes was not going to cover the inside route, Leonhard had already changed up the coverage, so wouldn’t have been able to revert to covering the middle of the field without leaving someone else open.
For what it’s worth, Leonhard said it was “on him”, although is it any wonder if Rex would side with “his guy” and consider it to be Kerry’s fault? Poor concentration, miscommunication and so on do tend to happen from time to time. Doesn’t coaching play a role in this too? I don’t know.
Good for Smith, he’s shown a few things in games this year and with 6 games left let’s find out if he can be a starting safety in this league. Rhodes has been living off 2006 and that just isn’t cutting it.
If there’s three guys on defense that I’d like to see receive more playing time it’d start with Smith, followed quickly by Pitoitua and Westerman. Then again, I’m not sure who shows what in practice and I don’t remember seeing Pitoitua in a game since way early in the season.
And this is the same Dbag that was asking us to vote him to the Pro Bowl.
Sure Kerry, I’ll vote for you
along with Jamarcus Russell and Derek Anderson
I’m amazed at our perception of the team at this point. We have soft defensive players, a rookie QB, a rookie head coach, and oh yeah, we lost our TWO best players on each side of the ball for the entire season. Where do we get off thinking we are any better than Detroit at this point? We will win some games when our rookie has a good performance, but for the most part we should expect a loss and play hard enough to outplay that perception. The way Kerry’s played the past two seasons, he should of been benched 5 games ago. Ill never forget one thing I saw…when Braylon was traded to us, there was a segment on the NFL network where they went around with him the day he was traded and he went to sleep at Kerry Rhodes’ house. Sanchez was there etc. etc. Braylon asked Kerry how Rex’s practices were compared to Mangini and Kerry was laughing saying Rex isnt like that, practices are easy, they are loose, he sounded totally foolish and unfocused to me, just by that response. He clearly didnt say the right thing to me. I hope someone get get a link of that segment cause i cant find it. Id love to see it again in hindsight.
Hope Schotty is next
I think they should also bench Thomas.
NJets,
Well, Lions have 2 wins, we have 4.
Bent,
I got slammed for comparing him to Coleman last week.
As for the Vilma film watching, that goes to the topsy turvy organization that is constantly in a state of flux. One coach plays a 4-3 , the next plays a 3-4 , so the best D player gets traded. Go figure. Unfortunately this is how the Jets have been operating for 40 years. Every 3-4 years we get a new coach with a new system, and he brings in “his” players. The result is frustration!
“Undersized or whatever you want to say imagine Vilma playing in B Thomas OLB spot?”
Don’t start that again – he was 40 pounds too lightweight to play OLB in Mangini’s system.
Vilma was so undersized for the 3-4 that he would drop into coverage like a safety and Rhodes would come up into the box. That’s why Kerry made so many plays in 2006. With Harris at the TED, Vilma might have done a little better, but they never played together, so we’ll never know.
Vilma’s contract was about to run out anyway – would you have given him a big money deal with the way his knees were and what happened to Robertson when his knees went?
cabras – I wouldn’t directly compare the two, because they are not all that similar, but the number of big plays has fallen off in similar fashion. Coleman started to make them again last year though, so maybe the Jets shouldn’t be too hasty to get rid of Rhodes.
The constant regime changes sure are frustrating, especially when every hire is pretty much the exact opposite type of guy than the previous one (as a reactionary move) and this means that the previous coach’s self-picked guys are a bad fit with the new guy.
Good move Rex. If this doesn’t wake him up, then nothing will.
At least we know he won’t be the next Ed Reed.
From Ryan’s Patriots post-game:
“I think with me, I think they got to understand that this is what you sign up for. I got a vision for our football team and I want to be a team that you have to strap it up to play against. I know we are capable of having that kind of team, a physical football team and clearly the last two weeks that hasn’t been there when we came out of the gate. And that’s been disappointing.”
I imagine a couple of Rhodes’ “plays” were in his mind when he made that statement. The guy honestly looked like he was playing with a hangover.
Finally! Next should be bryan thomas. And I would start gholston at DE.
If rhodes counts $10 million against cap next year, he is a goner.
Bent. Coaching does play a part, but not to the degree you are thinking. They’ve already told Rhodes and Leonard what checks to make in what situation. That’s why Leonard was making an adjustment. Ultimately that was on Rhodes either not recognizing the play or hearing the call. There is only so much coaches can do once the players are on the field.
I would know, I’ve been watching my bosses do it all season.
Today Moroe v Bishop Ahr. Dec 5 State Championship Monroe v Middletown South.
Rhodes has been solid, but not good for two years. Last week he was a total joke on the field. Say what you want about Hank or Fonzie, but I and anyone who watched him should have noticed how much his play has dropped off. I was a huge Rhodes fan. It isn’t easy to find a safety with such physical prowess, but he isn’t the guy who’s contract the Jets extended. He got his payday and quit. He’s a pretty boy now. Pretty Boy’s play QB, not Safety.
tweet that, Kerry!…maybe now he’ll remember and focus on what got him that contract, which was his dedication to football
love the move
Simms stated on one play where Rhodes got there late on a one of Welker’s many catches that …..you expect your “star” safety to get there to pick it off or break the play up…..OUCH!
Not only did he get there late he basically whiffed on his attempt to light Welker up.
Please enouhg of the Vilma deal. Harris made more plays in ganme one than Vilma made in 1+ years under Mangini. Its over and we got a draft pick for him
Rhodes hasn’t proven himself in a few years….
It time to bench him, cut him, or trade him….. Either way I’m tired of him!
My gut tells me Rex will “start” to build his Defense this offseason, as last season was to bring in just his character guys!
I feel a winning streak coming on with the benching of kerry rhodes.
“Coaching does play a part, but not to the degree you are thinking.”
I don’t think it has much of a role, was just raising the question as to how responsible the defensive coaches are for this kind of breakdown.
“If rhodes counts $10 million against cap next year, he is a goner.”
Not when he counts $12m against the cap next year if they get rid of him*.
* If next year is uncapped and they get rid of him, we think he’ll count 3m against 2010 and 9m against 2011…but then if next year is uncapped, why would they worry about next year’s cap number?
Bottom line, his cap situation makes it LESS likely he’ll be a goner.
Hey Hank,
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Shut up already.
“I feel a winning streak coming on with the benching of kerry rhodes.”
Well, they do have 3 very winnable games coming up (then three tough ones), but I expect to see them struggle in coverage when he is not out there. Revis will probably have to play off his man more for a start, because they tend to line Rhodes up very deep since he has the range to cover centerfield once he releases from Revis and I’m not sure anyone else on the team does.
“I feel a winning streak coming on with the benching of kerry rhodes.”
Really? Because Rhodes is why we’ve lost 6 out of 7? He may have been atrocious the past few weeks, but it’s not like he’s lost all these games for us. Or he is why we’re getting beat on defense (not every play is at him, you know).
Is it a good move so Rex can flex his coaching muscles? Yes. Is it a good move because it can possibly motivate Rhodes to get back to his old work ethic and habits? Yes. Is it going to send a message that the rest of the team takes and uses to motivate themselves to a few more wins? Very possible.
But this isn’t like we’re replacing Derek Anderson with Peyton Manning. Rhodes did start over Smith for a reason. Hopefully this just gets the message across that people will be held accountable and gets the players back to basics and working hard.
Oh BTW
I will be in China for work (which sucks bigtime) next week starting this Sunday….any idea how I can see the game? Justintv? Any other ideas?
I keep seeing the whole “GHOLSTON AS DE” argument, but in a 3-4 he’ll get annihilated. We need big bodies to occupy linemen. On Sunday they were showing plays with blitzes, and you’ll notice how many guys Jenkins was eating up. Didn’t really happen last game. Putting Gholston at end would be like telling the opposition to run at that side all game long.
It’s true though that the constant changing of personnel sets this team back. Late 90s we had a 3-4 with Parcells. Then Herm comes in, weeds out the 3-4 players(Ferguson, drops Abraham to a DE, etc.). Let’s not forget the Sam Cowart disaster. Shaun Ellis himself went from being a run stuffing 3-4 DE to a pass rushing 4-3 DE back to a 3-4 DE. Look at the fluctuations in his weight over the course of the decade, as he needed to be quicker in the 4-3 and stouter in the 3-4. Pick something and stick with it. It seems every year we have a bunch of guys learning new positions. And that BS about Vilma not being right for the 3-4 never sat well with me. If we had a nosetackle capable of forcing double teams (cough robertson worst pick we had in the last decade), Vilma would have been fine. I didn’t see Ray Lewis have that much of a problem with the 3-4 once they got Ngata.
*plays from the first Pats game.
I will say that he was probably my favorite jet coming into this year and my opinion has completely changed. All he does is chirp and chirp. When’s the last time the guy laidf someone out? And i mean highlight reel hit. I feel like he’s doing an injustice to the team by talking so much and then not backing it up. Just another typical Jet that looked great in his early years and then just fades away
Thank God!!!! I hope this leads to Rhodes getting cut and us drafting Eric Berry
I saw this from another post
“lets get back to the slants” I cant agree with this more. I feel like we are the only offense in football that never runs the simple play and lets the receiver make a play. NO SCREENS NO SLANTS/DRAGS nothing. everything is a pass 10-15 yards down the field putting more pressure on sanchez. Don’t get me wrong Sanchez hasnt played well but I feel like the unimaginative offese hasnt helped him either. Where are the rollouts that gerald sowell used to catch for 7 yards. Make the kids reads easier until he can get a total grasp. I used to think shotty was OK but he is god awful and we need someone else who knows how to handle a quarterback and put his players in a position to succeed. That doesnt mean running 75 percent of the time on first down
Sarge – Lewis is 250 pounds, Vilma was probably 225 for much of his Jets career. Robertson wasn’t used as a two-gapper, so that’s on Mangini for trying to run three man fronts with an undersized line IMO.
Fluctuating from scheme to scheme is a big problem and, yes, Gholston is too small to be a conventional 3-4 end. However, in this versatile scheme which runs 3 and 4 man fronts, he has shown that he can contribute with his hand down (mainly on passing downs or when they go with 4 linemen). I guess that’s what most people are getting at.
Sarge,
Gholston has actually already been playing some 3-4 DE and holding up well. His biggest asset is his strength and massive frame. He has the strength to hold up offensive lineman and not get pushed around. He would probably need to bulk up (is that even possible?) to be there full time, but he has certainly showed the ability to play there.
If Rhodes is benched, I believe it will have more to do with an attitude and style of play than a few plays made or missed. I think Rex is the kind of coach more likely to forgive a missed assignment than a poor physical effort. I’m sure he felt embarrassed by the way a 5′9″ 180 pound guy ran all over the middle of the field with impunity for 3 hours. Ryan wants offensive players to pay a price for plays made against his D and it’s arguable that Rhodes hasn’t been playing that type of football of late.
Sarge – agree with a lot of what you wrote, but Herm didn’t get rid of Ferguson. He actually said that he was the one player the Jets couldn’t afford to lose that offseason and they offered him good money, but Ferguson wanted to go to Parcells in Dallas. That started the whole problem with a big NT that wasn’t solved until Jenkins (the switched from 4-3, 3-4 notwithstanding).
“When’s the last time the guy laidf someone out? And i mean highlight reel hit. ”
Actually it was in Oakland a couple of weeks ago – he laid out two guys simultaneously, injuring one of them. (But I do agree, it was the first for a long while!)
Trouble is, despite his size, he’s never been that kind of hitter and he’s obviously been listening to comments like this and trying to nail people instead of wrapping them up. A few guys just bounced off him last week, when if he went for the sure tackle instead of the big hit, he’d have stopped them in their tracks.
Drew
http://www.channelsurfing.net
aka…
atdhe.net
Rhodes’ play has been the biggest disappointment of this season. I fully expected him to embrace the “Ed Reed” role and have a near-Pro Bowl season. Yet, there’s no doubt he has under-performed the last few games. I think this benching is just a wake up call. Rhodes has to put in the work if he truly wants to be a great player and it sounds like he just hasn’t been doing what he needs to do.
FWIW, I think this is a great benching. Rhodes is a “star” player (even if his play hasn’t backed it up). If your stars are coasting and not working hard, for team discipline they have to be benched. I think Sanchez’s issues aren’t from a lack of work, so I don’t think he should be benched for disciplinary reasons.
Looks like The Kerry Rhodes Show has finally been cancelled.
Yea drew – atdhe.net is the best site for that. Hopefully you can get it out in China.
Brendan i was beins sarcastic.
Kudos to Rex.
Well, some folks on this blog are certainly ahead of the curve.
While I agree with the move, think it is temporary since Smith is in all liklihood a step backwards, a be careful what you wish for thing as mentioned above.
I would like to see Digs get some reps, one thing he is not afraid to do is hit and hit hard, which seems a prerequisite in this system.
I posted preseason that it would be very interesting to see how Rhodes worked out in this system, that I suspected he would be exposed as the overrated player I felt he was.
I never felt he was terrible, just not a pro bowl level player that everyone believed he would emerge as in this system, and since E Smith might soon be exposed as terrible this might be a very short benching in an effort the get his and some of the other vets attention.
IF he does not respond, and I think this might be a talent issue as well as a commitment issue, he just might not be that good, then next year we can add safety to the need list.
Apologies, it is pretty much impossible to read sarcasm through text.
I know just very frustrated after that 3 and 0 start sorry about that
I got killed for trashing on Rhodes as well– beating a dead horse, he has been terrible, we all agree.
My concern is this— who is his best buddy on the team, and I think is stil living with him? Braylon Edwards…. uh oh….. hopefully Rhodes poor work ethic isn’t contagious
Aside from the contract, which I know nothing about, Rhodes is a good cover-2 safety. He should fetch SOMETHING in a trade.
Most of you are failing to see the point here. Rhodes is being bench because he is having a DISAPOINTING season. The Key word is disapointing, he is not playing bad by any means. A lot of people here have hated on Rhodes, saying he stinks, that doesnt make you right. No one has argued that he isnt having a disapointing season, but to claim he isnt good is nonsense.
He has talent. I just worry that he’s not the great fit for this scheme everyone expected. As Wise notes, he’s not a hitter, but Doug Plank teaches hitting. Also, because the team overloads a lot, that requires the rest of the players to read-and-react a lot more in order to make plays, unlike in Mangini’s scheme where you either had a straightforward assignment (which Rhodes carried out really well) or were sent on a mission to try and make a play with no coverage responsibilities because the rest of the team was covering for you (this is what Rhodes did in 2006 and what Elam did last year, with Rhodes wanting to be that guy, but the Jets unable to let him because there were so many weaknesses in coverage).
In the Rex Ryan scheme, they send guys in order that the other players can make plays. Hardly anyone has mastered that aspect yet, but certainly not Rhodes. In the Mangini defense you were either tasked with being a playmaker or you weren’t from play to play. That’s why other teams found it so easy to prevent pressure just by picking up the blitz and passing underneath.
I’m oversimplifying a lot here, but I hope my point makes sense. I wonder if the big plays will come from this defense with time.
JesusRevis–
Don’t complicate it, it is simple as this– He has a job to do, and he is failing in doing the job. Maybe the job isn’t for his skills, but this is now the job of a safety here, and he has failed.
He belongs in a cover-2 scheme, where the job is much simpler and suits his skills better. He is not an explosive player, he is a decent tackling safety with some range– although he gifted Ginn a TD in the first MIA game.
I’m not complicating anything. I’m just saying, dont confuse disapointing with being a “bad” player.
RevisRhodes watched film with Vilma every week for 2006 and 2007. Not coincidentally, he had great, playmaking years. Then he got his big extension, Vilma was traded, and that was that. I hope this move by Rex makes Kerry realize that it was all his hard work that got him that money, not “LOL!” on Twitter. I hope Kerry comes back from this benching with a renewed passion for the hard work of being a football player. The guy clearly has a lot of talent, and when he matched that talent with hard work he was great on the field and a good example for his teammates. We’ll know for sure after this. If this doesn’t work, and he gets even lazier, and sulks, then I won’t feel bad if the Jets trade/cut him.Rhodes is too “Hollywood”. When was the last time he just smacked someone across the middle. Shut up and play football.
I’d say he has very good range, but the Ginn TD was yet another example of him trying to make the big play and getting burned. It wasn’t poor range or him being in the wrong place, he just bit badly on a play fake to Ronnie Brown and happened to do so on a rare occasion where Revis had unfortunately been beaten at the line.
He was faring much better (and so were the Jets) before he seemingly became obsessed with trying to make big plays. He was “doing his job” but it’s only since he started trying to do more than that that he has been making mistakes.
Missed tackles (unofficially) entering last week’s game: Rhodes 3, Leonhard 8.
H52CD – Hope you don’t mind me editing your comment, because I’m pretty sure you meant Rhodes, not Revis!
I guess i’m a lot more loyal than most of you. I dont want to see Rhodes get traded. I hope the benching opens his eyes and he comes back with a renewed passion. Unlike most of you, i’m still rooting for the guy though.
I agree with JR.
JR,
My feelings are much like yours. I think he can still be a very good player for us, but the preparation and hard work just hasn’t been there apparently. Maybe this demotion will bring him back down to earth. There’s also the chance this turns him into a surly team cancer, but I just don’t see that being the case. He’ll play on Sunday, just not as early or as often as usual.
drew….this should work as well
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9122/how_to_watch_nfl_games_for_free/
Bent, you talk about Rhodes being better when he was “doing his job,” and that’s correct, but its this attitude that is at the root of the problem. Back in 2006 and 2007, he worked hard in practice and worked hard in the film room so he knew when to jump routes or blitz and put himself in a position to make a big play without compromising the team. Since he’s become lazier in his practice habits, he’s now far less aware of the whole field, leading to situations like being burned by Ted Ginn.
Another thing too is he shouldn’t be focused on making “big” plays. The Kerry Rhodes of three years ago wouldn’t have cared what fans were saying, and would have just done his job out on the field. However, it seems like he cares more about trying to please the people outside of the team then his coaching staff. I think this shows he’s completely lost his focus. The best way for him to make “big” plays would be for him to start working much harder during the week, but it appears that he doesn’t feel like doing that, preferring to LOL it up on Twitter instead and being a day late and a dollar short out on the field on Sundays.
I agree Brendan, I cannot see Rhodes becoming any sort of a cancer. He doesnt seem like that type of guy. A lot of you have mentioned the tradition Rhodes and Vilma had when Vilma was still with the Jets, and maybe missing out on that extra study time is really hurting Rhodes. As a fan, I would like to see Revis, Rhodes and Harris come together as the young leaders of this defense, and team, and begin that tradition again.
drew…this should work as well
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9122/how_to_watch_nfl_games_for_free/
Bent, whoops! DEFINITELY didn’t mean Revis! Thanks!
IMO He needs to get dirty, rought and tumble. If he wants it and dedicates himself to it he can be great. His best chance to get famous is to be a great player. No one cares about his outside work. If he realizes this and puts the hours in he can really be something.
I had heard Revis, Rhodes,and the secondary watched film together. Or was that just Revis’s rookie year.
I dont think he will ever be the player the Jets need him to be– again, its not a matter of him being a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ player, he just isn’t the right guy.
A benching won’t make him a harder hitter, or a better tackler. He just isn’t the guy. This happens alot– Vilma was great here, then he wasn’t a fit, and now he is successful in NO.
As you all know I am Darrelle Revis’ number 1 fan. I like the fact that he has a quiet yet confident demeanor and he lets his play speak for itself. However, its time for him to start becoming a vocal leader on this team. He has established himself as a highly respected player who is regarded as one of the elite players at his position. It’s time for Revis to take on a bigger role with this team, and maybe that starts with getting Rhodes to get his act together.
Great point Jesus. And what better time to start then now? You could see how fired up he was on Sunday when he broke up Brady’s first pass to Moss.
Bent-
You make a lot of good points but I’m not totally sold on the theory that Rhodes’ 2009 shortcomings are all the result of attempts to make a big play. The scenarios you mention don’t necessarily seem to have provided obvious big play opportunities, rather just opportunities for KR to be in on the play, and likely late to it. Biting on the Ronnie Brown handoff? He was not likely to be the first man to stop him if it was a run, was he? How big a play could he have made, compared to the one that was given up?
My worry is that Rhodes has been chasing plays already made by others, almost like he just wanted to be counted in the pile. Could it be he’s trying to cover for not being as familiar with his responsibilities as he needs to be?
Bent,
We were discussing that Ginn play the other day with Rhodes and he actually did not look to bite on a playfake there. He simply blew his responsibility and decided to cover Camarillo who was supposed to be covered by Leonhard and either a LB or DB on the other side of the field. When Ginn makes his third move on that play and turns upfield to the post Revis slowed down to turn and looked as if he figured Rhodes would be there, but Rhodes just covered the wrong guy. I dont think that was a making a big play thing just a mental lapse on his part.
JMO, but Rhodes’ play is sometimes the problematic part of the guaranteed big dollars. A guy like Rhodes worked his tail off to earn that money, unlike first round picks who just get it, and nobody could have predicted what looks to be a lack of effort these last two seasons. The same thing happened with Bryan Thomas who was basically a dog until he wanted a new deal, got the deal, and then went back to being a dog. Now that his job is again in jeopardy Id say he has had his best season since 2006.
At this point I would have to agree with this move, Kerry hasn’t done much to defend his starting status and is hurting more than helping. Maybe this will be a wakeup call he needs … then again I could be wrong.
Once a dog, always a dog–
hopefully he straightens out, so we can ship him off for something. He will revert back (ala BT) once he is secure.
I dont understand why it is so hard to devote one’s self to their craft. We all do it every day– if someone in your company acted like this they would be terminated.
JR- Revis is the only player on our D that can say anything he wants about anybody at anytime. You are 1000% correct in that regard.
Kerry Rhodes deserves to be benched. The Jets org and the Jets fans put a lot of trust in this guy. 3 years ago he was turning into one of the best FS in the NFL. Now he has become a joke. I wasted alot of time defending this guy, and he just got worse and worse.
Great job Rex, let em know who boss. This move is the start of the changing of this team. Rex is finding out who is going to be and who is going to be gone. We’ve got Ellis, Pace, Revis, DH and Jenks who we KNOW are going to be here for the long term, lets build around guys who show up every Sunday
I think Rhodes has too much talent to give up on him. He’s 6-3 (excellent height for a safety), 215 lbs., and ran a 4.48 40…not great, but he has good closing speed. He has shown way too much promise to give up on him and he’s still only 27 years old at a position where players last well into their mid-30s. I thought Rex’s strength was getting the most out of his defensive players, but it looks like Rhodes might not be putting in the work to fit the system. That’s on Rhodes. Look, he’s not a hitter, but in today’s NFL, an FS is needed more to make plays in the secondary than come up and make big hits. Ed Reed is a better hitter than Rhodes (but, he’s not a freight train), but his greatest strength is roaming in pass coverage and getting picks. Instead of dumping Rhodes, I want him to reach his potential.
BTW, I think Thomas is having an okay year. He’s just not a prototypical SAM or WILL. IMO, he never should’ve been re-signed to play the 3-4. At the tail end of Herm’s tenure, I thought BT was making strides as a 4-3 DE. Problem is, he just doesn’t really fit in a 3-4.
Bent, was his re-signing a cap issue or was he wanted by the team? I just don’t remember.
I guess Kerry no longer had Jonathan Vilma to watch tape with.
Good, Kerry sucks, I hope he is benched for the rest of the year. He is only a below average safety at this point.
Boy, am I tired of this renewed love for Vilma. I wonder if he and Rhodes watched every Bills game so they could see Vilma bowled over by McGahee. Or, the multiple Pats games where Vilma was trailing the TE as another TD was scored. Everyone always torched D-Rob, but more often than not, teams just ran counter to D-Rob’s initial pressure and Vilma was nowhere to be seen. Vilma was mediocre and exposed after his first couple of seasons as a finesse MLB. Lost in the Jets-Siants game was the fact that the Jets ran 27 times for 132 yards, a nice 4.9 YPC…same old Vilma.
SD,
Thank God someone said it. Vilma was a good player, so don’t take this as spite. He had possibly the best sideline-to-sideline speed of a linebacker I’ve ever seen. But as SD put it, it wasn’t all rainbows and rose pedals with him. He was unable to shed his blocks, so if an offensive lineman got his hands on him, it was over. And anyone who think she could play OLB in a 3-4 clearly does no understand what this scheme is about. He’s between 220 and 230 so you want him to try and rush the passer against guys close to 100 pounds heavier? Come on. Vilma was good, but enough already.
Can anyone explain to me wtf Yahoo sports means by a defensive staffs called “stuffs”? Since when has this been a stat? Is it stuffing a run at the line? Does it only count when it’s a 3rd or 4th & short?
Brendan – STF has been used for a while now. It means a tackle for loss, whether that be a solo tackle or an assist, but does not include sacks. STFY is yardage, but you only get half the yards if it’s an assist.
subway – That’s true about the Ronnie Brown play, although the Jets had been struggling with the run at that point so he did kind of shirk his primary responsibility in an effort to “go above and beyond”. I think the hitting rather than tackling on Sunday (which I haven’t seen from him before) was more indicative of that being an issue, but one way or another, we agree, he wants better stats and it may be affecting how many mistakes he makes these last few games.
Jason – I watched it about 10 times and it seemed to me like he bit on the playfake and ran up into the hole, then when he saw it was a pass, he tried (and failed) to recover deep. I didn’t get all the angles though, so I may have misread it, but even so, he’s trying to make a play when his primary responsibility is deep cover. It was definitely a misread, rather than any deficiency in skill.
Sack – “Bent, was his re-signing a cap issue or was he wanted by the team? I just don’t remember.” Not entirely sure who you’re referring to here. Thomas signed his extension in December 2006 when he was in the middle of having a career year, if that’s who you mean.
Just to clarify what I mentioned above, the $12m cap hit mentioned applies if he is cut outright, but Jason informed us that some of the guaranteed money is salaries that have not yet been paid, so if they trade him to a team willing to take on that salary, the cap hit when he is traded will be a lot more manageable.
I still think the best thing for everyone would be for him to knuckle down and play the way we know he is capable of, but if he and Rex have an irreperable relationship, then the trade is a possibility.
I just got a text message from my brother that mike francesca said that if cower wanted the jet job it is his to take. Anybody else here that wonderful rumor.
My favorite thing about Rhodes getting benched is that he said he wanted to embarrass Tom Brady in week 2. Brady embarrassed him so bad last Sunday that Rhodes is now running with the special teams scout team (per Rich Cimini). Who’s embarrassed now, Kerry?
i heard francesa said jet job is cowers if he wants it?
please let this be a very thanksgiving
How is this losing streak even remotely Kerry’s fault. Yes he has had a lot of miscues between him and Little Jimmy (see miami MNF, and Jacksonville) but what about all these turnovers?We have a young team just calm down K
WE ARE IN FOR ANOTHER REBUILDING PROCESS. I SAID IT FOUR DAYS AGO, I’ll say it again.
3-4 more years of this crap.
please
Kerry Deserves to start he is one of the best Safeties behind Reed, Polamalu, A Wilson and Sharper..
The only scenario I like that has to deal with Kerry leaving is trading for Peppers and then drafting another athletic beast in Taylor Mays.
Why is Jim playing though he can barely wrap up someone?
how wonderful would that be which means there is no chance
I think the best outcome for the team would be for Rhodes to take this as a major wake-up call and rededicate himself to the game of football. He has enough natural ability to make pro-bowls with his game – rather than is twitter account – if he lives and breathes football. Maybe he and Braylon can be each others’ career rehab sponsors?
I always cringe when I hear the Hollywood stuff from athletes. It’s as though they think that because they’ve done a couple of commercials, or gotten a couple of bit parts in movies, stardom is just waiting for them as soon as they can be done with all this tedious football nonsense.
Trust me, I work in the Hollywood business. If these guys think professional sports has a high failure rate, wait till they get to the Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
Id be stunned if the Jets dumped Rex after this season. That isnt fair if they do that. I understand that the team is in a bind because the ticket sales are terrible for the new stadium but cutting ties with Rex does not solve anything. This Cowher thing was a story that PFT initially broke early today so Id imagine that is where Francessa heard such a thing.
I agree, sub.
reality – Haven’t heard any rumors, but there was a report on PFT posted to the News and Rumors section which basically says “the Jets should consider trying to get Cowher because Tannenbaum sucks and they’d sell more PSL’s that way”. This may have caused some sources to discuss it as a legit rumor, but there appears to be no basis for it right now.
I’m not sure Bill Cowher is the panacea and you might find that Jets fans are not quite so universally behind the idea as you might think.
Dolphins have Parcells.
NE has Bellechick.
Bills are about to get Shanahan.
Lets get Cowher.
Thanks to everyone for the watching tv links for this week while I am away
As to Rhodes… Some of you guys talk about him like he is a garbage player. He has played badly the last 3 weeks when we needed him the most and is getting benched for it.
He was and up to the this point has been a very good player overall for us.
Maybe a little slice of humble pie is what he needs to get back to what he was 2 years ago
Bent, here is the link to the Ginn TD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyPtJF-IgPc
You get a good shot of what was going on around the 36 second mark of the clip which focuses on the route. I have no clue what KR was doing. At about the 37 second mark you will see his foot enter the clip and he breaks laterally to cover the other side of the field. Bryan Thomas had Brown who comes into the clip running out towards the sideline, the opposite of where Rhodes went, around the 40 second mark. At that point Ginn was just making his move up the field. Rhodes had already drawn himself out of the play.
Definitely not a lack of skill, just a lack of recognition. He must have assumed Ginn was running a slant, Revis had him, and that the play was designed for Camarillo. It just seems like he has had alot of mental errors like that one. i think right now people question where his head is at.
Are we seriously talking about getting Cowher only after one year? Thats no sense, we have a rookie qb and coach! People need to lower their expectations deal with the season.
Bent,
Okay, you answered my question (even though you didn’t quite understand it). I was wondering whether BT’s deal was an extension because he had a large bonus due or an extension would have been more cap friendly. You’re right, BT did show initial promise in the 3-4 in 2006; too bad it was a mirage.
i agree, good move doesnt have to be anything permanent, its just a wake up call. We all know hes talented and has the ability to be a Prow Bowl safety, everyone has seen it. I dont think you have to pick of a bunch of passes or get a lot of sacks to be a great safety, sometime the system or just plain luck doesnt allow it, but Kerry was actually starting to become a liability to the team on defense, so he needs this benching to understand his spot as a starter on this team isnt a given. For you ignorant Jet fans who think the best way to solve every problem is to just release or trade the guy, get a clue! Benchings have worked before, its sux that it may take a benching for Kerry to get his head on straight, but it HAS worked before. If it doesnt than it certainly will be dissapointing, but you cant just get rid of every guy that has a subpar year. We know the talents there, I hope to see it again
hank/naples — If you really want to get into the accountability game here and have everyone tell your son he was the ‘first’ to say Rhodes was having a bad year, stop being insulted when we call you two out on all your other misses.
w8 so we bench Rhodes but not sanchez?
Hank
I gave the kid credit for being on to something about Rhodes during the Jacksonville game. Thats as good as its gonna get.
U ever think that maybe more people would have apoligized if you were a little more stand-up with regards to the chaos you create on this site on a weekly basis?
Before you start lecturing anyone on accountability, take a good look in the mirror my friend
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Brendan,
I have been getting on Rhodes’ s case long before this season. I bashed him last year because he lacked the leadership in the secondary and could not keep up with Revis who was slowly taking away the field and establishing himself. I mentioned that Lowery, Revis, Rhodes, and Elam would be our starting lineup in the secondary last year however Lowery would command a lot more space than Rhodes in the secondary because of his ballhawk skills and his ability to mirror his receiver. This would force Rhodes into a small area which he would have to perform. Eventually he chose his area and that was in the backfield five yards from the play and either the third or fourth player to the ballcarrier. When the jets needed to stop the bleeding against the Broncos last year (the game killed the jets defense overall) Rhodes was nowhere to be found and could not lead the secondary last season. He failed to establish himself which I questioned and during the offseason I read a little bit more about him from various articles. He was too busy in fundraisers and publicity than studying with his defensive backs (i.e Revis improved because he went back with his personal trainer and studied his opponents’ receivers for the upcoming season while practicing through a rigorous offseason training program. Lowery who took it upon himself to break away from the restricted regiment that Mangini had and head into the season with a different mindset). In fact a few years ago he was “surprised” during a team meeting that Chad Pennington was going to break down film after practice for a couple of more hours and Rhodes scoffed at him and “couldn’t believe” how chad was spending so much time in the film room. Rhodes doesn’t like to study. If he had execeptional (unbelieveable, rare) talent and didn’t need to study then I would agree and say “Look Rhodes don’t practice just show up on sunday ready to play and dominate the game”. You are a professional, you are expected to perform. If you cannot do this then you shouldn’t be in the league. This year Rhodes has proven that he cannot maintain his focus or even work well within a defensive scheme. He was fortunate to have Vilma in 2006, and revis alongside harris, thomas, and Ellis in 2007. When Revis improved in 2008 and Lowery began to establish himself, Rhodes found the backfield crowded. He wasn’t the most influential piece in the secondary. Now he has Leonhard, Revis, and a couple of other players to contend with and he hasn’t helped himself by not studying.
Kyle you are genius! Lets get Cowher, on top of that why not get Dan Marino to join the party?
Sensational explanation Fonzie.
So the loss to Denver was Kerry’s fault even though Elam was completely lost in coverage and beaten badly for two TDs?
The defensive backfield was “too crowded” despite the fact that every no-name quarterback was able to pick holes in it with ease?
Lowery was a great young player under Mangini, but now that he’s struggling (which actually has been the case since halfway through last year) it’s because he chose to break away from Mangini’s “restricted regiment”?
Your argument has more holes in than the Jets secondary will this weekend with Kerry out. He may be struggling now, but that doesn’t mean you were right to call him out while he was actually still playing well.
GOOD ! that JACKASS doesn’t know the difference between a football and a horse’s ass. go play video games with your buddy, mark sand-trap. that’s the world they live in, making tackles on video is not real you anal-crack !
so sit on your ass and watch someone else do your job . must feel good you 10 million con artist .
Bent,
Where was Rhodes last year? How good was he actually playing? Elam blew two coverages for touchdowns but where was Kerry in the entire game? I thought he was already in Cutler’s lap by that time. The jets needed Rhodes to build himself however his weaknesses have been exposed. He has a difficult time against tight ends in single coverage. He cannot give a hit (see oakland this year during one of their runs in the second or third quarter. He was going to give up his body but one the oakland receivers ran into the ballcarrier and the ball carrier ran into rhodes. Rhodes was holding his right arm and showed signs of intense pain). He doesn’t study. What more do you want me to tell you. It was a mistake on tannenbaum for extending Rhodes too early in his career. Tannenbaum wanted to keep his young prospects in fear of losing them because he wasn’t sure if Mangini could develop the draft picks from future drafts quickly enough so players like rhodes (drafted by Herm Edwards and Terry Bradway) would be expendable (it was more of a win now regime). Tannenbaum knew he wanted to keep the continunity of the jets especially on defense but that is a false statement because ultimately Mangini at the time had control over team operations not Tannenbaum. Tannenbaum was strickly business and contract negotiations. Rhodes was a converted safety in college. He didn’t learn how to tackle properly (his tackling is high, sometimes with his arms) and read defenses enough. From a quarterback’s viewpoint it should have been really easy for him to learn offensive schemes. When a quarterback like Chad Pennington was trying to work overtime and players began to take notice rhodes was the first to ridicule it (where he should have been next to Pennington because talking to him might have paid off against more complex offenses seen last year and now this year). Take a look now. The door has been blown wide open Bent. Even if Ryan is saving Kerry there is very little Kerry will do because he has to make up for three years worth of work. You Kerry give one good year in 2006 and you are rewarded (mistake by the general manager for not giving it some time) and then you let down the team when they are in a prime position to win now. Unacceptable.
2006 was his only good season?
‘05 – 106 tackles, 1 sack, 1 int, 1 FF
‘06 – 99 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 int, 3 FF
‘07 – 68 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 int, 2 FF
For the record: Troy Polomalu in ‘05 had 92, 3 sacks, 2 int’s, and 1 FF. In ‘06 he had 77, 1, 3 and 1 (13 games).
In ‘06 Ed Reed had 60 tackles, no sacks, 5 int’s and 1 FF. In ‘07 Reed had 39 tackles, no sacks, 7 int’s and 0 FF.
Now, do not take this as me saying Rhodes is better than those two guys. But his stats stack up pretty well. And that’s 3 solid years of production. If 3 years isn’t a strong enough sampling for a contract extension then what is? 5 years? That doesn’t happen in the NFL when low round picks blow it up.
And last year Rhodes wasp laying 25 yards downfield the entire game. He saved probably close to 10 TD’s by just being back there and roaming.
I am not excusing his play this season, though solid in the beginning, because he is not earning his $. Rhodes signed his extension in ‘08, so he had good years in ‘05, ‘06, and ‘07, not just one season.
And when did Rhodes criticize Pennington for doing extra work? Googled about 10 different phrases including “Rhodes” “Pennington” “criticize” and found nothing.
You’d be more credible if you stated numbers or links when stating your case.
You read my article at the time that outlined how Rhodes had performed and chose to completely ignore it, so I see no reason to go back over it.
It is extremely rare for Rhodes to cover a TE one on one so I think you are reaching to criticize that aspect of his game.
I believe in Kerry. Kerry has been playing football since he was a little boy. He has great potential and many know this. Maybe he got off course but who hasn’t at times….I know that the coach made a decision that was fitting for the team and I am sure that Kerry will make the right decisions for his life.