The Rundown: Rocky Rhodes
This week, Kerry Rhodes made many headlines with the announcement of his benching and his replacement with Eric Smith. While this topic has been all the talk in New York, and Rhodes was rightly benched after his performance in the Patriots game. it’s hard to get a read on how he feels about the matter.
Safety Eric Smith will replace Rhodes in the Jets’ base defense, but Rhodes will continue to play in nickel and dime personnel groups.
“I’m still in pretty much every package except a couple,” Rhodes said. “I’m kind of like a little kid in timeout.”
Timeout? Call me Mr. PR, but not a great soundbite.
“I’m not going to make excuses,” Rhodes said. “I have to play better. There are situations in this defense where I revert back to the old defense. We can be playing the same coverage, but little techniques will be different here and there. That is where you will revert back to what you’ve been doing for a while.”
After the demotion, Rhodes said he was uncertain of his future with the Jets, but added that he would not be a distraction to the team.
So no excuses, but here’s an excuse in case you need one. It was only a matter of time before players starting turning their back publicly (albeit anonymously) on Rhodes based on the level of media attention minus the production. A reporter had clued us to it at the Pats game Week Two when they said that other players weren’t happy with Rhodes comments leading up to that game, discounting his leadership and now it seems that the chickens are coming home to roost.
“He’s been chirping a lot and not playing very well,” said one teammate, who requested anonymity so as to not be seen as taking part in locker-room backbiting. “I think this (his benching) is the best thing to happen to him. He needs to get hungry again.”
…
Quietly, however, some of his teammates thought Rhodes was more a media creation than an elite player.
“I never thought Kerry was as good as the perception,” said another teammate who requested his name not be used. “I always felt the `big plays’ he made was because of teams unfamiliarity with him. The Jets made him the face of the franchise on defense and I’m not sure he deserved it.”
Personally, I think that Rhodes has the talent, and I think that hard work made him the player we saw in the past. In this defense, he should be making more plays, but I do think it’s unfair to say that he’s been a zero all season. Rhodes has had some good games against the run earlier in the season, and he’s done a fair job in pass coverage, but it all came crashing down in the past two games against the Jaguars and Patriots.
What makes the most interesting twist to all of this is that even though Ryan said he’s “banking” on Rhodes returning to form, his contract might not be as sticky as once thought.
A league source tells us that a large chunk of Rhodes’ guaranteed money is guaranteed for injury only, and not for skill. So if the Jets cut Rhodes, the guaranteed money won’t be paid.
So if the Jets opt to sever ties with Rhodes before the 2010 season, he won’t earn a $2 million guaranteed (for injury only) roster bonus or a $2.78 million guaranteed (for injury only) base salary.
That’s $4.78 million in supposedly guaranteed money that will evaporate if the benching is the first step toward a bumping of Rhodes from the roster.
I hope it doesn’t come to that, but based on some of those quotes at the top, it’s not exactly the vote of confidence you’re looking for. Still Bryan Thomas admitted he slacked, and the press (and fans) have never forgiven him for it. One of the greatest things Rhodes learned from his former mentor Jonathan Vilma was the level of dedication to film study and extra work both at and away from the facility. I understand that he wants to take his cache from football to carry over into other pursuits after the game fades for him, but f he wants to be a star after football, he needs to do a better job balancing life. People aren’t beating down Erik McMillan’s door for being quick out of the gate. High level of play is why guys like Aikman, Sapp, and others have excelled in broadcasting careers away from the game. Hell, even Dan Marino, who’s terrible on-set, has his job because of what he did on the field, and probably for that reason alone.
While in years past Rhodes has been tight with Revis and the rest of his secondary, as Jim Leonhard told us earlier this season, Rhodes doesn’t host the same film sessions that the group used to. Rightly or wrongly, Rhodes is the posterchild for this defense right now. All talk and scuffling, but when you get down to it, no grit. Rhodes career could be on the brink. It’s clear that his hard work and dedication are factors in his past success. If he wants to get back to his past heights, it’s not going to be by Twitter, TV spots and the celebrity circuit … at least during the season.
Filed under: Main Page
he’s got great teeth though…..
I want to see come out today and make a play Until then, he’s written off. Safeties like Rhodes are much more common in the NFL than shutdown corner, big nose tackle, or elite LT.
If he doesn’t respond, cut him. I won’t cry about it,
Maybe next year, if we keep him, we can trade him to Tamp for Sabby Piscitelli or a DL.
How about Kerry and a Pick for Asmougha? lol
IMA KEEP SPITTIN THESE TRADES OUT!!
GO JETS!!!!
Now you see, if we can trade Rhodes for Ashomuga, we wouldn’t even need a safety.
Seriously, the Jets should be pursuing Ashomuga by all means.
Think about Revis on one side and Namdi on the other. It wouldn’t matter who our safeties are, we would have a shutdown tandem. Especially with Lowery in the nickel.
If this team can somehow get Namdi before the Raiders trade him to the Patriots, than we need to get him.
The Threat of Moss and Welker would immediately be neutralized. Give this Offense some experience with Big Jinx and Leon Back and we own the Pats.
Bent-
What are those numbers like? I know Nnamdi Asmoguha just signed a big extension with the Raiders.
Lol Kyle i’m going to assume you are kidding…
Several JETS players feel that Rhodes has been completely over rated and are not surprised by his play. Also he has been distracted by twittering (Twittering is for morons!) and his celebrity status.
I say trade him to the Browns and get back our #3 and #5 picks.
Nmadi just signed a huge extension. No way the Jets get him without giving up Revis.
lol Asomugh is making more than most star QB’S. I don’t the Jets could afford him.
Now That I dont agree with how could you possibly get distracted by something that takes 5 or 10 minutes out of your day?
That doesn’t make sense. I really don’t wanna hear anymore rumors about players saying this and that about Rhodes.
Of course I am kidding.
But I would trade Sanchez for Namdi.
Just kidding.
But seriously.
So, Kerry Rhodes just replied to my twitter. I told him “we should trade your ass to NE just so we can run over you twice a year.”
to which Mr. Rhodes responded:
“lol, boy please if they do ill eat! That would be a joke!”
Rhodes obviously spends more than 5 min. twitting. he got all Mr. Hollywood and blastted a poster on this site. The guy has great athletic ability and i thought he would have a break out season. Now i think we should trade him to the Raiders, Al Davis will love him.
Revis will have his hands full today , with Steve Smith. Sometimes theres just ppl that have your number. we’ll see.
in other words … i got money who cares about the jets..? maybe the guys callin me out ?
He means even if he goes to NE, he’s got his money. He don’t care, this guy acts like a Wide Receiver.
Maybe he should try catching the ball.
Lantern – I don’t know what you mean with your question.
Nnamdi is expensive but his entire 2010 salary is guaranteed which means he is tradeable should he demand one. His big 2010 cap number doesn’t matter as much if there’s no cap. I don’t know if it’s likely that he’ll demand one or whether he has any interest in the jets. Since the Raiders have Huff, I’m not sure they’d be prepared to take on Kerry’s salary.
the guy had a smile like a cheshire cat …while talkin about all the nickel and dime packages he’ll be in …. aint no thang …… i gots my money ….
We are not getting Ashougha.
If he was smart, he wouldn’t have signed that contract. The Raiders will be losing for a long time, and this the CB in the NFL will never really get the credit he deserves, being on such a lousy team and all.
Yea,
I think Rhodes has proven he isn’t going to respond already, and it isn’t even game time yet.
He seems like the kind of person that will listen to what the guys in the locker room are saying, and sleep on it every night, instead of going out there and proving them all wrong.
Bent-
I was just asking would a Rhodes – Asmougha trade work cap wise? Thats all
But you guys need to seriously stop riding Rhodes about distractions I seriously doubt Tweeting is stopping him from learning this system.
Ah, ok. Yeah, he’s not cheap and the jets don’t have a ton of money (even without a cap). Not impossible though.
He has been tweeting all day so far.
I wonder if he remembers he has a game to play.
Seriously though, Rhodes was on Twitter all morning. Time better spent preparing for today’s game?
yes now I am going to pour a frosty and get prepared for the game. GO JETS!!!!
Kyle – slight exaggeration there? A quick look at his feed shows that today he has sent several messages between 3-4 hours ago (maybe on the ride over to the stadium?) and hasn’t been on since.
Kerry Rhodes Would Of Stopped both of those runs