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.

‘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.

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.

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.

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.

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