News: Could Someone Be Planning an Exit?
Although it might be nothing more than a simple slip of the tongue, did Kerry Rhodes tell the press that he’s expecting to be on the open market this offseason?
Jets S Kerry Rhodes said yesterday that Ryan told him he’ll play in more packages tomorrow against the Bills and his benching was a ”learning thing.” He played mainly in nickel and dime packages last week.
Rhodes also sounded like he’s planning his exit strategy. He’s due a $2 million roster bonus in March and a $2.7 million base salary in 2010.
”We got five games left,” he said. ”I’m going to play hard. When you’re in a situation like this, you can’t go into the tank because other teams look at that.”
Maybe he’s talking about in general not himself specifcally, and he’d be right that teams do look at that tape, the Jets did that with Detroit Lions OL Damien Woody, look how that turned out. According to PFT, those bonuses might be boguses. Whether or not those monetary numbers are real would probably affect the Jets outlook. I think giving up on Rhodes now, would be a mistake, but it’s a fair criticism to say that he hasn’t exactly played to his new contract since getting it.
Thanks for the heads up to JPM
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I guaranteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Kerry Rhodes has read this blog before, and I guaranteeeeeeeeeee that the type of fans on here who are always being negative and bashing our players are the reason why we may have to watch Rhodes DOMINATE for the next 5 years on another team.
DId you see Rhodes chuck the football into the stands after his 1st interception on Sunday? I think it was pretty obvious he was giving a big F**k you to all the fans who have been unsupportive. No wonder why people always say “Same Old Jets”, because we have the same old sh***y fans who make it nearly impossible to develop any sort of winning mentality around here.
We need Tanny to pull off another draft day miracle!
Trade up to get Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
Eric Berry is the top-rated prospect in the 2010 class, described as the type of playmaker Rex needs to help stop the pass. He’s being compared to Ed Reed in his scouting report.
Trade down to get Taylor Mays, S, USC
A shaky year with the Boys of Troy caused him to slide to the bottom of the first round.
Also, we’re heading into an uncapped year. Any Free Agents? This is supposed to be most important position in Rex’s defense – damn!
as much as i agree with you jesus… kerry cant act like a dick because he reads jetsblog and doesnt think people show him enough love. if youre an athlete in the spotlight and you play terrible you deserve the fans getting on your case.
nydblockny,
And here lies the problem; New York fans and the New York media take a player like Rhodes, who by all means is NOT playing terrible, but disapointing, and make him out to be a bad player. Did I miss something? I watch A LOT of football, and this league is full of defenses who cannot defend the pass. Yeah, its nice to have a safety who can make big hits, gets sacks, get interceptions, but isnt their primary responsibility to cover? Does Rhodes do that as well as ANY safety in the NFL? I sure think so. For those of who who live in NY, and im sure thats most of you, dont you watch the Giants? Have you seen the different it has made on their defense when CC Brown replaced Kenny Phillips in the starting lineup? Teams have thrown ALL OVER the Giants, and CC Brown is the culprit 99% of the time. Don’t you all realize that there is more to being a safety than getting sacks and interceptions?
Dean,
Free agent-wise we have the immortal CC Brown of “C’monnnnn MAN!” fame.
But seriously, O.J. Atogwe is available and he is the best safety that no one knows about.
But realistically, if Rhodes shows he can man up, we may just keep him because he is a very talented player. If not, then your guess is as good as mine.
JR,
You dare blaspheme the name of CC Brown?
Haha,
cMON MAN!!!! that guy is horrible.
All these Jets fans trying to run Rhodes out of town, I bet the Giants would love to have him on their defense.
How can anyone here be defending Rhodes.
This guy has played god awful this year and the biggest play against us this season that just about ruined our playoff chances was the play against Jacksonville.
The abysmal performance vs the Pats closed the book on him. I will not shed a tear when he leaves. However, I heard he is close to Belicheat so I can see him snatch him up.
JesusRevis,
No disrespek, but I’m one of those “same old sh***y fans” who told Rhodes to F**k off.
He deserved it. You reep what you sew. Don’t forget that he was tweeting Jets fans to vote for All-Pro game in the wake of our collapse. Not kool!!!
We are the best fans in the world. Just don’t piss on our leg and tell us it’s raining… ’cause we’re not gonna buy it. Obviously, Rhodes needed to shut up and play and fans needed to ne heard.
The results of Rhodes benching speak for themselves. If he doesn’t want to be back next year, then I personally don’t want him around. I’d rather lose guys with character guys than win once a year with a guy like Rhodes.
It’s simple. If he wants to go to Hollywood, he better start “Acting” like a Football Player.
Of which, he did – last week. Whether or not he’s auditioning for other teams is fine. We can use the money to sign Eric Berry, S, Tennessee!!!
Again, no disrepek. Just don’t like Rhodes play and attitude. He’s rubbed me the wrong way!
Dudes!
The only player from the Jets leading in votes for the Pro(pulatrity)-Bowl is Faneca. Also, Benson is in the lead for RB? Hopefully the coaches’ and players’ polls will bring some justice.
http://www.nfl.com/probowl/story?id=09000d5d81448298&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true
Long > Brick?
Saturday > Mangold?
Bailey > Revis?
I don’t know what to say. I hope he doesn’t get traded. But you can’t make comments like that. I know he hasn’t made the impact we’ve all wanted, but his metrics are still good–for all the stat geeks out there. No one on this team has the range he has. If you noticed, Smith played a lot closer to the LOS than Kerry does when he’s in the base package. No one on this team has the ability to play centerfield besides him. I’m hoping Kerry regains his composure and becomes dominant again to show this team he’s still a cornerstone on this defense.
Eastside:
The players on the team who deserve to be in the pro bowl are the following:
Mangold, D’Brick and Revis
Question marks = Harris and T. Jones
Dean,
I think we can meet somewhere in the middle on this. It’s fine to be disapointed, but I cant stand the constant bashing, when people say he sucks, he doesnt suck, go watch the other 31 teams in the league, there are plenty of safetys who “suck” and Rhodes is definitely not one. I support my team, which means I support my players, I think Rhodes gives us a better chance to win than any other safety we are going to get.
You talk about “reaping what you sew”. Well, are you gonna reap what you sew when we lose Rhodes and he is dominating on another team? Are you going to reap what you sew when whoever we replace him with sucks and youre going to want to run him out of town too?
Dean,
I have been defending Rhodes (and still do), but I have to agree that the Pro Bowl thing was a joke. Rhodes is very talented, but at the end of the day he doesn’t deserve to go anywhere this offseason but back to the gym and film room. I pray he is still with the team next year, but comments like that certainly do not help his case.
And I have to disagree that Jets fans are the best fans in the world. There are great, great fans of this team. There usually the ones there on gameday (not saying that’s what makes you a fan, so don’t take offense), but I would say the majority of Jets fans are like locusts. They move from person to person (coach/player) and consume and suck dry and when they don’t get what they want they toss it aside. Those are the fans I can’t take.
I’m not saying people can’t be negative, hell it’s hard not to after 40 years of “almost” “close” “horrible” etc. but some people take it too far. That’s where I think JR is directing his anger.
That play against Jacksonville which Jim Leonhard took responsibility for?
Rhodes has been – like JR says – disappointing, but to call him awful is inaccurate. I previously posted a link that had him rated 5th among safeties in the whole league from a site which grades every play. He was doing his job well. The problem was that he is paid to excel and hasn’t done that.
I get why people dislike Rhodes, but at the moment Smith can do no wrong, yet his performances are not really any huge upgrade over Rhodes. The issue is that Rhodes is paid to be a difference maker and hasn’t been. I’ll continue to defend him against claims that he is awful because I don’t see it that way, sorry.
I can’t defend the Pats game, but that was not how he’s been playing all year.
Draft Taylor Mays then. He actually can hit someone unlike Rhodes. (And will be much better)
JR I agree with you completely. He doesnt suck and we may be sorry if we lose him. Lets not be talking about drafting a safety. We have one and we also have legitimate holes to fill. I hope this is what it was said to be. Just a wake up call for Kerry.
JesusRevis,
You wrote:
“And here lies the problem; New York fans and the New York media take a player like Rhodes, who by all means is NOT playing terrible, but disapointing, and make him out to be a bad player. Did I miss something?”
I say, Yes. You are missing something. Prior to Rhodes benching, he was playing terrible with receivers getting behind him and running backs just plain ol’ running over him.
Stick. Wrap and Dig!
In regards to being a playmaker, Rhodes suggested someone had a Voodoo Doll in his likeness and their pins made him jump when the ball was thrown low and vice versa.
Can we get a Sports Psychologist over here – STAT?!!!
Again I am a huge Kerry Rhodes fan and for the most part feel he has been the scapegoat for alot fo fans this year.
What I am annoyed about is Kerry’s stance since he has been benched. He has taken a poor me attitude and there have been a few comments he has made already that back that up. This being the latest one. He is clearly talking about himself here ….”you can’t go into the tank because other teams look at that.”
How does he make that comment? We are fighting to stay alive in the playoffs and he is talking about staying positive in the next 5 games so there is good film of him for other teams? Just a poor comment
Ive mentioned this before, take it for what its worth and believe me if you choose to.
I have a mutual friend of Bill Belichick, his son is a student a Rutgers and I get A LOT of inside information from him. I know what Belichick thinks of all the players on our team and I can tell all of you right now that he absolutely loves Rhodes, he thinks he is a new breed of safety and trust me, he would LOVE to have Rhodes on the Patriots. For those of you who remember Kerry Rhodes little war of words with Rodney Harrison prior to the first Patriots game, after Harrison had some criticisms of Rhodes, Rhodes responded by saying “Rodney Harrison was never as good as Kerry Rhodes, ask Belichick.” And I can tell you right now, Rhodes was right, Belichick thinks he’s amazing and sorry to offend any of you, but Belichick knows a lot more about football than any of us.
Dean,
I’m sorry but youre wrong. Rhodes was never playing terrible. Like I said before, go watch the Giants, CC Brown is terrible, Rhodes is far from it.
Drew,
I agree with you 100%. He has not handled this situation well at all. My only gripe is with all of the criticisms over his play. His demeanor on and off the field is not very inspiring.
Brendan, Bent and JR,
I guess I’ll revise my stance on Rhodes being terrible. The stats don’t lie.
I’m just having a knee “jerk” reaction to the Patriots game where he made Maroney look like Larry Csonka.
Dispite the expectation due to fat contract and new Rex Ryan defense designed to showcase Rhodes, I’d be more supportive if he was like Rex’s old guys Jim Leonard or Bart Scott and new guy Eric Smith.
They Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk. Rhodes rubs me wrong.
I don’t think it was an f you to the fans at all — he was smiling when he did it, very happy and celebrating with his teammates.
Plus, Madden was right about his arm. Mangold can throw better.
Greg,
I could be wrong, but I saw something completely different. As far as I remember he did the exact opposite of what you said. He ran down the sideline on his own and threw the ball into the stands with an “i told you so” look on his face. I dont remember him doing much celebrating with his team. And if you remember, Revis came up to him and whispered something in his ear afterwards.
Jesus
I think we are both on the same page with the way Kerry has been treated and his play on the field for the most part.
To add to your Belichick story there was that SI top players story that P King wrote 2 years ago. There was some confusion when Rhodes ( i think he was in the top 30 ) and P King tried to make a joke saying Belichick dosent think Rhodes could start for him.
Belichick and Rhodes talked after the game and he acknowledged that Rhodes was a special player and top safety in the league.
I just think Kerry needs to get back to playing football. Hopefully his attitude and the fans support change to help
And seriously JesusRevis — Rhodes has played terribly this year. Why else did he lose his starting job??? Are you saying Rex is also reading jetsblog? And the players who lobbied to bench him? And throwing Mangini under the bus before the season for scheming him improperly, and saying he would make a lot of big plays, only to make zero in 10 games? Unless you think blowing coverages and not hitting hard to protect your face for future endorsements “playmaking”, Rhodes has been terrible this season and deserved to sit.
You had a better argument when you were lobbying for Jay Cutler.
I fully understand, Dean. His comments suck and he does probably deserve to be a scapegoat because if he played as well as we all hoped, this defense would be incredible and the team would be headed to the playoffs. He hasn’t…but he has still been good, with a lot fewer mistakes than you’d think. That’s why he grades out well on the statistical analysis site.
The Jets need him to make more of an impact but not to take silly risks. He did that on Sunday. Thursday will be interesting.
Rhodes throws better than Mangold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXze0cQwD-8
Dean
I think the Maroney “run over” is being over blown here. A lot of safties get run over. It looked bad for kerry but it wasnt a big deal
Kerry has always been a drag down sure tackler. The big hitting saftey is overrated and usually misses alot tackles.
I cant defend his Jacksonville and New England games but I have 4+ years of seeiong him to know he is a good player. He just needs to stop the nonsesne and get back to work
And as for the toss into the stands, it would shock me if he could control his emotions to take a negative attitude toward fans that are all cheering you, when it was your coach and teammates who benched you, and a handful of jetsbloggers who called you out, not the cheering fans.
he got a 5 year extension with $20 million guaranteed before last season. i am not sure what we would get if we traded him, as another team would have to eat the remainder of his contract.
no doubt, he is not playing up to the level of a $5 million player. but assuming next year is uncapped, i would still pay him and have eric smith as insurance.
also, remember he renegotiated his contract earlier this year to help Mr T out. so i dont think there is legit beef with him and the organization.
Greg,
If you think Rhodes is terrible, then that is your opinion and your choice, but when you say he has played terrible, you sound stupid.
Rhodes was benched because he has been DISAPOINTING. No one is arguing that, but saying he’s terrible is horrendous.
http://www.profootballfocus.com/by_position.php?tab=by_position&season=2009&pos=S&stype=r&runpass=&teamid=-1&numsnaps=25&numgames=1
And Greg,
If you dont believe Kerry Rhodes knows what the fans say, then you should start checking his twitter page
Totally agree Drew — but the question is whether or not he has the internal fortitude to resurrect his career, and if he has the ability to swallow some pride and do it here. For all those who say he will haunt us for five year — you may be right. He is a super-talented safety who, for whatever reason, lost his fire this year. Maybe he gets it back now with the benching, but it may have been a no-win situation. Without the benching, he continues to Hollywood it up and ask for Pro Bowl votes, thinking all is right int he world, and with the benching he now wants out of NY and to F over the Jets for humiliating him.
He was great, playing terribly, and now there is nothing we can do but watch him perform elsewhere.
Greg – he was benched because he was underperforming, which is different from performing poorly.
He hasn’t been blowing coverages regularly at all and he’s made more good plays than bad ones. That’s still not good enough, because he’s capable of so much more.
…And, youre wrong about the actions following his interception. He ran immediately down the sidelines afterwards and did not celebrate with his teamates. Go watch a replay from Sundays game.
Kerry listening to the fans is becoming a problem. I fully believe thats why his play has gotten worse over the course of the year.
He is “trying” to make plays and his overall play….which wasnt so bad early on has suffered. He listens to the fans and media becasue is overally concerned about his image…..
I never doubted that he knows what the fans say. That’s why he has played horribly.
And don’t tell me I sound stupid for pointing out facts. Rex Ryan benched him for playing terribly. YOu can call me and rex stupid, while I go back to all your posts calling Jay Cutler a top 5 QB.
It’s all relative Bent, and it’s all semantics. When I say Kerry Rhodes has been playing terribly, I meant FOR HIM, as you say. Underperforming means the same thing to me.
I wonder how his latest comment will go over in the locker room? He has taken this me vs the world stance and is probably losing (if any is there now) support fromhis own team.
Its screams of “poor me” and I before the team attitude. Something I know Rex probably isnt happy about.
Funny as good and popular as Kerry was before the season …..you have not heard much support from his teammates especially since his benching
I saw the replay JesusRevis. He was not with his teammates. But it doesn’t mean it was an angry thing and not at celebratory action, and it only proves the poiint that he cares too much about his image and his play has suffered from it, causing him to perform terribly for what he is capable of, and what he will likely do elsewhere next year.
Saying Kerry Rhodes has played terrible is stupid, plain and simple. I’m not calling you stupid.
Have you been waiting months to disagree with me so you could call me out on lobbying for Jay Cutler? If youre going to do that atleast be accurate. I never called Jay Cutler a top 5 QB, all I said was, out of the young QB’s in the league he is a top 5 prospect. And for what its worth, I still like Cutler and I think he’ll be just fine. I never said he was a top 5 QB.
In that case, we more or less agree, greg.
greg
In defense of Jesus…. Culter has no weapons and is on the wrong team. The Bears have a ton of issues.
Saying Culter sucks because of his showing this year is not totally fair
Calling me stupid over semantics was wrong and you should apologize JR — you and I are saying the same thing — he is playing terribly for Kerry Rhodes ability.
I apologize for bringing up Jay Cutler.
no need to argue over the meaning of “terrible”
Rhodes does seem to have taken that “me vs. the world” attitude like Drew mentions. Pro-players in any sport cannot let the fans dictate how they play. That is mistake #2. Mistake #1 is listening to the media. You have to listen to your coaches and teammates and thats it. Sadly, Rhodes comments don’t give the impression he really learned from what Rex Ryan tried to convey with the benching. I think he knows he needs to get his act on the field together. I do think he knows that. But I worry he is doing so for all the wrong reasons.
Greg,
my comments on what Rhodes did after his interception are really only proving everyone elses point. He needs to stop with stuff like that. He ran away from his teamates and then basically chucked the ball AT the fans. Stuff like that is unacceptable.
If by saying he hasp layed terrible you really mean disapointing, then I agree with you. But it bothers me when people toss around the word terrible, when in reality, he is still playing like a top 10-15 safety.
I didn’t say Cutler sucks. I just suddenly remember JR lobbying for him.
Rhodes and his teammates seemed to me to get on fine. Plenty of support for him after his big plays, which is a bigger deal for the team than for Kerry so that’s good.
Brian – Rhodes had a $9m bonus this year and already had about $5m of other bonuses. The rest of his contract isn’t too bad for any team that might trade for him.
So I guess your point is the next time someone is underperforming and playing disappointingly for their ability, we should all stand up and cheer him in hopes he isn’t reading our comments.
I think everyone agrees that Rhodes has not played as well overall and was benched because of it.
I think everyone agrees that he cares too much about his image and his play has suffered
Again my fear is that Kerryis losing support in his locker room and he is making more comment everyday to distance himself from them.
The fact is this isnt Kerry teams anymore. If he was playing at his Pro Bowl self …it could be
This Rex Ryams defense…its D Harris’s defense and its certainly Revis’s defense
I think Kerry wants to be “that” guy but his mouth and sub par play will not allow that to happen soon…..if ever
Greg,
I apologize for saying you sound stupid, but all the Rhodes bashing is starting to get to me and I honestly think that while everyone is trying to run him out of town, we will all regret it later on.
As far as Cutler, I dont care if you bring it up. I’m willing to talk about anything football related.
I found it pretty funny that just a few weeks ago it was Cutler leading the NFL with interceptions with Sanchez at #2. That since has changed, although Cutler may still be at the top.
I just found that very ironic.
Greg,
There is nothing wrong with criticizing someone for underperforming – that is what Rhodes is doing and he deserves to be criticized. This difference is, fans are bashing him, and it is uncalled for.
Cutler is a horrible fit in Chicago, he was when they traded for him and he still is. Talent wise, he’s an elite player and I think if he was on the right team, with some good players around him, he would be a very good QB.
Chicago has no running game, no defense and no legit receivers, yet the Bears still have a similar record to the Jets. I think if we had Cutler playing QB right now, we would have atleast 2 more wins. With that being said, I am still happy with Sanchez, im just saying.
You said he was playing terrible, meaning by his standards and therefore underperforming, which is accurate. However, others say he’s terrible and mean it, which is what I (and I think JR) tend to bristle at.
Right on point Bent!
…and with all those issues they have no first day picks in the next draft and no first rounder the following year. And we bash Tannenbaum!
I get it JR — I mostly took offendse when you called the fans sh@&*y and, to me, it seemed like you were blaming the fans for Rhodes likely reaction of leaving town. Maybe there is some truth to that, but Rex Ryan benched him, his teammates sold him out, and he should be smart enuf to see his own stats and know that his Hollywood image is to blame, and not take it out on us.
Hopefully he figures that out in the offseason and stays, motivated for 2010, because we were in a no-win situation here — motivate him and watch him leave or let him continue to underperform here.
Bent….always the voice of reason
fair enuf point bent — my last comment was omitted but summed up how I feel about Kerry… we were in a no-win situation where we either motivate him and watch him leave or let him continue to disappoint.
Don’t even get me started on the Tannenbaum bashers! I’ll never stop.
Mr T bashers are the worst. I dont even understand the complaints of our GM.
Greg – the omitted comment is now there. You didn’t mask the profanity very well!
i agree with the first guy to post. we’re gonna watch kerry rhodes erupt into an allstar player for the next 7 years on another team. why? because the majority of jets fans are bums, dont understand football, and just want results. essentially thats how ny in general is, people dont take the time to appreciate a process, but instead want the end result to be good. and that is why ny teams are never good, unless you have an unlimited money supply to fix a team in 1 offseason like the yankees.
great example too in this thread. kenny phillips goes down, cc brown comes in… there goes the giants secondary.
rhodes is not playing bad! honestly, hes not playing up to his expectations, but hes certainly not playing bad. and im not saying that bc he had to interceptions on sunday, before that he was doing an adequate enough job. the defense as a whole is doing an adequate job, its the sloppy play that kills us. and that comes from all different players on the team, and not just 1. honestly if you had to choose a unit on this team that is underperforming it would have to be the offense. you all get on kerry? why? had our offense gotten the job done we wouldnt have had to rely on the defense on the final drive for 3/6 losses… the defense of this team usually plays more during the game than the offense does and thus is more fatigued…
and not only that, if u just look at those final drives of those 4 games —
one was lost bc bart scott couldnt stay with the guy he was guarding.
one was lost bc kris jenkins tore his acl during that game and the jets couldnt stop the bills running
and one was lost bc bart scott took a penalty to prolong a jacksonville drive on which they quick snapped and caught kerry rhodes in a differnet defensive position than he was supposed to be in.
ill say kerry gets the blame on 1/2 a loss.
the other 3 losses were to be blamed on —
mark sanchez: saints
mark sanchez: patriots game 2
jets entire secondary: dolphins game 2
you are all looking for a scape goat… when you cant find one you all revert to: the jets suck (which they absoultley dont), then the next person to blame is someone who is underperforming, you can say the whole team is basically underperforming, but the half of you wont admit it, so you all jump on the guy who talks a lot of smack and is underperforming. you have an excuse for sanchez: hes a rookie… fine its valid
you have an excuse for bart scott… he gets an occasional big hit and hes intimidation… ok not so much but no one seems to emphasis bart scott, braylon edwards: he drops passes liek crazy… but hes a new star, we gotta retain him for future years… the list goes on, yet all we do is complain about kerry rhodes, someone who goes in day in day out with a hard work ethic and is being blamed as a horrid player. i look at rhodes and see his play this season as average, not as stellar as past years, but also good enough to have him around for a few mroe years so he can pick it up.
ny sports fans are terrible, just learn to shut your mouths and watch a team. this is every year, i have never seen a fan from another city trash talk their own team as much and as frequently, in any sport as ny fans do to their teams. first it was pennington, next mangini, then favre, then tannenbaum, then schotennheimer, rex ryan came in at some point, bart scott and bryan thomas, mark sanchez, kerry rhodes… never any support. i wonder what a lions fan would do if the lions had this much talent on the team…
Saying Rhodes would be “dominant” for another team (Belicheat or otherwise) isn’t fair since that implys we haven’t been using him properly over the last two years. I know the story about being Elam’s wingman last year setting him back , but what’s the excuse this year? Isn’t it ironic that inspite of his playing “good” stat-wise that he gets two picks when he got “called out”? Granted they were gimmes, which if discounted would suggest that he didn’t “step-up” at all! However you want to spin it. This guy is a average-to-good safety. Period. That is not bashing. That is what he is until he shows otherwise.
and…I’m still waiting…
David Harris saying that Rhodes is part of “the process” means you must be loving that Gholston “occupied two blockers” once…
enough! why doesn’t Kerry know the defense by now? Can’t we call him a veteran by now. His first contract is almost up!
vernon gholston im not defending, kerry rhodes i am. hes proven to be good, gholston hasnt. and the main problem im stressing is the fans.
I think its an over-generalization of the fans. I agree with some of the offense, OL and scott views, but they are not part of this thread right now. I don’t think everyone is making Kerry out to be the only scape-goat. You could blame Rex Ryan for that if you wanted to.
One point not being made as it relates to the Rhodes/Smith situation is the financial one — although some have said that Smith is not an upgrade and may indeed be an inferior player to Rhodes his salary is substantially LESS — if Smith keeps the job that would leave the Jets more cash to upgrade another position — Unless Rhodes is FAR superior, Smith should be considered to be the better long-term solution — No???
Spin – that’s a point I’ve tried to make several times. That’s probably what will happen if Rhodes doesn’t continue what he started on Sunday. The best outcome would be for him to keep the momentum going and play like he has in the past though.
Semantics Shemantics – I’m too young to feel like I’m raising a “terrible” teenager!
Greg and Drew nailed it when they said, we’re in a lose/lose situation with Rhodes.
“Without the benching, he continues to Hollywood it up and ask for Pro Bowl votes, thinking all is right in the world, and with the benching he now wants out of NY and to F over the Jets for humiliating him.”
We had to “ground” him – tough love. This way, we stand Win/Win if he continues to play like last Sunday and stays in New York. Or, move onto iron curtain number two (Eric Smith, Etc.).
Yet, last I checked, the Trojans are the only game in Hollywood and Rhodes is getting paid well to be in the biggest market on earth.
Perhaps some good coming from what Rhodes described as a “Time Out”?
Prior to the benching, he chalked it up to just bad luck (voodoo dolls) and since Monday he seems to be taking more resposibility and being positive.
”We got five games left,” he said. ”I’m going to play hard. When you’re in a situation like this, you can’t go into the tank because other teams look at that.”
If his quote means he’s leaving home. Sobeit. I’ve done all the parenting I can. Let’s adopt – lol.
Bent — sorry, I guess you’re too subtle
Jesus,
I agree Rhodes has taken too much criticism- people act like we’re not a top secondary, or that he has nothing to do with that.
Still, ripping fans for criticizing him or to suggest that he’s somehow justified for turning on the team (if indeed he’s done that) b/c of the “bad fans” just doesn’t make sense to me. Not only has Rhodes underperformed, he’s done it in the most frustrating way possible- seeming to shy away from hard hits, making no impact plays, etc.
I want Rhodes to be a part of this team- I hoped that the benching would motivate him. Instead he seems to have taken completely the wrong attitude towards it.
And I would question the honesty of Bellichick’s assessment. It seems to me if any player is going to take a quote like that and let it lead to complacency and a lack of hard work, it’s Rhodes. I don’t like that Rhodes’ teammates called him out in the media, but you gotta think there’s a reason.
I’ve had it with Kerry.
For the past few seasons Rhodes has been playing half assed and I am happy that its finally coming to light. The NFL isnt the NBA. A star player cant take the regular season off and then turn it on in the playoffs.
Rhodes never wraps up, he never makes decent reads and he seems afraid of contact.
I’m not sure what value he has on the trade market but I’m all for dumping him and going after Taylor Mays who should be there when the Jets pick somewhere between 10-16.
Kerry Rhodes is a douche bag and if the two gimmes that Delhomme threw him are your basis for justifying his value then you haven’t been watching him play. Tweeting aside his play speaks volumes. Stats can lie. He isn’t a team player. I would love Belicheat to swipe him up because he would be a impact player for them like Baker was OOOHHHH AAAAAHHHH. Seriously give me a D to face where he stands between TJ and taking it to the house. I bet on TJ every time.
I am not criticizing any of his fans by no means, but to call into question fans who recognize his lowered production as being bashers is unfounded. He quites critics by performing if he cares which I highly doubt. If there are roster bonuses involved, I beg the FO to trade him to Cleveland or heck even NE they have a high draft pick and get Berry or Mays and we end up a better team. Look how T.O. divides teams. Wait bad example T.O. has talent, but you know what I mean.
Adios Joker, see if you get anything near what you are worth..
sry he thinks he is worth
As for this article, it’s written with a bias. Go read in the Daily News about how Rhodes is happy, content, not angry at Rex or anyone else. This is just taking a single quote and basing an entire article around it, instead of quoting the entire interview. He is not mad, he’s happy, he’s been told he’s close to getting his spot back, and he’s working hard. The article I’m referring to quotes Rhodes as saying he was told he needs to do “one more thing” to get his spot back, but doesn’t elaborate, because Rhodes refused to divulge.
I wonder if that one thing is be more physical. You know Rex holds that above all else.
Here is the link to the article I was talking about:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2009/12/02/2009-12-02_kerry_rhodes.html
Levi,
I would have to believe you are correct. That was Rex’s biggest issue with Rhodes and he didn’t exactly crush people on Sunday. I don’t think Rex wants him flying recklessly around the field, but I am willing to bet he wants Rhodes to be a more physical presence in the defensive backfield.
The Giants had an excellent mid-round surprise in Gibril Wilson. They let him walk when his salary was up even though he was an excellent contributor. Whats one of the Giants biggest areas of concern. You keep your homemade talent. And you buld from there. This is another place where the Jets may not feel the immediate damage but down the line interms of personnell depth and player development, this will hurt big time if it goes down.
Bad Idea!
Ya I just read the article thanks. I think it is either address the team or play more physical. That would be my guesses anyway.
*What’s one of the Giants biggest areas of concern?
igs,
You’re not seriously saying the land of CC Brown is an area of concern, are you?
C’MONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN CC!
Brendan, lol.
And that’s the point I think a lot of Jets fans miss. With the CC Brown situation, you see the reverberations of the Wilson deal – 2 seasons later. It’s not necessarily this season that you see the fallout of a bad decision.
The reason fans are so quick to hate rhodes is because most of us watch on TV. All you see on Tv is the line of scrimage…no one sees coverage. So we all base his play on how many times he flashes onto the TV screen and makes an impact play. But thats not ll the position is about. In fact if your not seeing him much it means that hes covering his guy. BERRY is going to be a top 7 or 8 pick, so forget it. We have far more pressing needs and to trade up for Berry wouldnt leave us picks for Dline and Oline. As far as TAYLOR MAYS hes a big hitter but he cant play in coverage. So stop crying about rhodes….everyone wants troy polumalu but its just too much to expect. How many big time safeties can you name in the leage besides troy polumalu and ed reed?
Hey I was a supporter of Rhodes but the fact of the matter is that he makes no IMPACT plays and has’nt since 07.On top of the fact that there are WHISPERS in the locker room that he has rubbed his fellow teammates the wrong way. Stopped having film review at his home like he use to have when VILMA was still here and ALLEGEDLY is’nt getting along with right now the most consistent player on the team REVIS
In this defense Rhodes was supposed to be able to make more plays then he has.If the coaches sat him down then they obviously have seen enough in the films to sit him down. And INT’S and sacks may not be that important but his tackling is dismal.I like Smith he at least sticks his nose in there.Whether Rhodes is here or not next year we still need help in the secondary.CB,S,DE,OLB,OL and the jury is still out on WR
I agree very much that Rhodes has been disappointing but by no means terrible. The idea that he was saying Eff you to the fans after the INT seems like quite a stretch to me though. None of us have a clue what he was thinking so trying to read into what you saw is silly. To me, he looked pretty happy – maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t but to assume that he was being a jerk to the fans seems off. Plus, how much would you love to get to go home with a ball that was used in the game? That sounds more like rewarding the fans than being a jerk to them if you ask me.
ill take a second or 3 rounder for him anytime
Supposed to is a big big word.
alot of things are supposed to happen, but do they ever?
many of the posts here are not quite sure on the Rhodes situation. first of all ,Rhodes right now has not got a leg to stand on. his play, terrible a it is, hasn’t gotten better nor will in the future. if, in any stretch of the imagination, he thinks his market value is high, he’s got another thing coming. do we care where he goes .NO
draft this guy…draft that guy….replace this guy….
if you have ever noticed this is all we do on this board…and i agree with term locusts used in a previous post to describe these fans….
i dont think there is another team in the nfl that have the trigger finger the jets fans have….
I hate most Jet fans.
they wouldnt cut rhodes would they? if anything they would trade him right?
BOTTOM LINE: I will NEVER say that Kerry Rhodes “sucks”,but I WILL say,that he has had only ONE really good season with us. It seems to me that he is DEFINITELY more about his nickname”HOLLYWOOD” than he is to being a “star” safety in this league.
James in TN,
Funny post, dude! A lil’ scotch just shot through my nose. Honestly, I said the same thing last week only to learn Rhodes contract will scare teams away.
The best thing our Jets ever did was trade Mangini to the Brownies. Do they have anything left in the cupboard?!
As for the Belicheets, they’re licking their chops, because they have a locker room in place to keep Kerry’s talent on the straight and arrow. Like they did with wayward disodents like from Corey Dillon to Randy Moss.
Hopefully, guys like Scott, Leonard, Jenkins, Revis, Harris, Jones, Mangold, D’Brick, Cotchery, Richardson, Keller and Sanchez can create a kangaroo court of our own, eh?
On a side note, it completely kills me to know God damned New England stole a first round pick from senile Al Davis.
Speaking of what difference a strong locker room can make on a impressionable youngster, let’s look at the flipside.
A team like Oakland (Committed to Dysfunctionality) trades for Richard Seymour, a major cog on and off the field in New England; and he comes to Oakland and quickly morphs into one of them.
Jesus, it’s like watching Snake Plissken in Escape from New York… only it’s newly acquired Richard Seymour trading tweets with San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman’s reality TV girlfriend, Tila Tequila?!
If this example doesn’t support “institutionalism,” then I don’t know what does?
In short, there’s no bad players, just bad owners. Let’s take of our problems in the locker room and the play on the field will take care of itself. I believe in Woody and think Rex is clumsilly growing into some big paws.
His ol’ man left some big shoes to fill, and I think Rex is gonna be even better!
Go Jets!
I gotta pour myself another, brother!
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His remaining contract is only $11m over 3 years if you void the final year. That won’t scare teams off.
I’d be very surprised if he was cut rather than traded because he still has value and even if there’s an uncapped year, cutting him will affect the 2011 cap more.
I agree With JesusRevis 100%
The problem is, most of you dont understand that if we trade Rhodes we are only creating naother hole, which means in order to fill that hole we may miss out on other players to fill other holes. This process ruins continuity and makes it harder to have a consistently good defense and a consistently good defense.
I dont like the way he is acting either, but ive said it once and ill say it again, anyone who says Rhodes has played terrible is being ignorant.
*a consistently good defense and a consistently good team
If Rhodes leaves the Jets because of sour fans he has a lot of growing up to do. He is the highest paid safety in the league and isn’t producing. What did he think would happen? What would happen to any human being? He has been a let down, which is tragic because I loved the guy and thought he deserved the contract when he recieved it.
This is the real world. You don’t get a parade for being average.
No ones asking for a parade, but he doesnt deserve to be hanged in the town square either, or given a scarlet letter to wear on his chest. Saying he is average is unfair too, he’s far above average, even if he isnt playing up to his own potential, because it just so happens his potential is elite, dont hold that against him. He will regain form, and then all of the fake fans will love him again.
Jagg – good post. If he was being paid an average salary, it wouldn’t be as much of an issue. I for one hopes he snaps back into shape and becomes the guy most of us thought he would be when he signed that fat contract. Not an average or slightly above average player, but a great, impact player. There is a world of difference.
Potential is pointless unless you fulfill it. I know a guy who got 1400 on his SATs and bags groceries. What does potential mean to him? I like the guy, but statistically he has been average. I’m not advocating removing him from the team or saying he is a bum, but he has been a disapointment.
JAGG,
I have no gripe with you or anyone else complaining about him being average, but there has been a lot of negative talk about Rhodes being “terrible” and “horrible” and so on. Stuff like that is ridiculous and thats what i’m speaking out against. But yes, I agree, he has been disapointing.
Yeah, but we’ve seen more than potential out Kerry. And just like rookie QBs almost always start off bad, proven veterans have down years.
Damn meetings/deadlines!
I can’t continue this to the level I’d like to.
Igs: Rhode’s best years were in Mangini’s system. When he and Elam switched roles last year Elam put up comparable numbers. That concerns me on whether it was Kerry or the Scheme.
JR: Rhodes doesn’t suck he is a sure tackler (Other than NE) and has amazing range, but he hasn’t been the play maker we expected and the general audience can miss tackles when watching, but no one misses an INT or FF and a lot of the things Rhodes does don’t show up in the box score.
JAGG,
Rhodes was better in his early years because he was a true roaming safety. Vilma was very good in coverage so they could utilize Rhodes more in the box and blitzing. Last season, when Elam was the other safety, they had to switch roles and Rhodes spent the entire game 20 yards from the LOS. Their numbers may be comparable, but Elam could do only one thing well, play the run. He was actually a liability in pass defense, so it wasn’t the same role completely.
The point was that Elam made the same big plays. In no way do I think they are of equal talent.
First and foremost ill admit that for every game I go to since Rhodes rookie season I have worn his Jersey. The kid is an absoult beast in coverage. Remember that early in the season Rex said Kerry was grading out the Highest. Yea he might not be the best in run support but that’s not his role anyway.(Jim Leonhard role is run support). He has arguably the best range in the game. Who cares about stats, I care about wins and this team isn’t as good without him. Top shelf safeties are hard to find.
JAGG,
That’s not what I was insinuating, sorry if it came off that way. Elam’s one interception was against Buffalo and could have been a handoff to him from the QB it was such a bad pass.
I was just trying to say that Elam’s “impact plays” were more likely to happen since he rarely went more than 15 yards downfield. He was always by the LOS so his numbers may look nice on paper, but in reality he was getting torched all over the field. I wouldn’t worry about his numbers being close to Rhodes’ numbers.
We’ve basically seen the worst of Kerry Rhodes this season. That being said, his worst is an average effort from another NFL safety. THat is a testament to how good this guy can be.
Its pretty simple that Rex expects more out of Rhodes. This is all a test to see how he will respond. The best thing Kerry can do is to stop talking to the media and just focus on the game of football. No more Twitter, no more Pro Bowl vote lobbying, just be the Kerry Rhodes that all us Jet fans know he can be.
We dont need Hollywood. We need the 4th rd hungry draft pick out of Louisville eager to show the world his ability. We need the guy that I and many other great Jet fans have defended on this site. We need the guy who BSed with me and my buddies for 10 min at Hofstra and signed a million things for my nephew. We need the guy who is a true homegrown Jet and guy who Jet fans are proud to call one of our leaders
If we can get Kerry Rhodes best effort out there, it will be good enough for ANYONE, even Fonzie. That is how good the guy can be.
It has gotten to a point of absolute nonsense. Kerry Rhodes is one of the best cover safety’s in the game, and I dont know another safety who has the range he has. Yet, our “fans” are calling for his head? Guess what Jets fans, whoever replaces him will never be as good, and then you will be begging to have him back.
Brendan- Elam still won both Buffalo games playing the role formerly filled by Rhodes. Yes Elam was put in that role, because Kerry is exponentially better against the pass, but even the Blind Squirrel (Elam) was able to find a nut in that role, so until Kerry shows us what he is capable of in other roles I feel the jury is out on his play making abilities.
I thought Kerry would have been Ed Reed 2. I think most of us thought that.
JAGG,
Jury is still out? He’s been in the league almost 5 years. We’ve seen his production already. We know what his skill set is. For whatever reason he didn’t live up to it this season. Maybe he believed the hype, maybe he got lazy, who knows. But the fact remains that in his roaming safety role he was one of the best on football. Last season I’ll chalk up his low production to the fact he was 25 yards downfield the entire game. People need to take a breath and realize that even veteran players have rocky seasons now and again.
Brendan- You can love him all you want, but until he makes plays in a defense with an emphasis on making plays I’m not impressed and either is Rex.
I think your metrics for evaluation are a bit simplistic and based off his role in a completly different defensive scheme. Even the coach finds his play disappointing and his 11 million dollar cap number is extreme for his output, but don’t take my word for it. Look at how Rex and Pettine have treated him.
If you depend on the fans to motivate you then you should not be a professional athlete. Motivation comes from who you are – in the heart! Fans will toast or roast you in a heart beat specially in NYC! Rhodes deserves all the roasting that is being dished out.