Jets coach Rex Ryan talked on Wednesday regarding the decision to bench safety Kerry Rhodes.
“I just know how much this hurts him and I believe football is first to Kerry. I know he’s embarrassed by this, as am I, quite honestly. I think he’s going [to] respond. I really do.”
So why is Ryan embarrassed? “I’m embarrassed because I have a guy with a lot of ability, and maybe it’s just not quite there yet,” Ryan said.
He wouldn’t say whether the move is a one-game thing or whether Rhodes will have to win his job back, or wait for Rhodes’ replacement, Eric Smith, to suffer an injury.
Ryan also faced questions regarding whether other players face benching, including left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, linebacker Calvin Pace, and quarterback Mark Sanchez.
As to Sanchez, Ryan was willing to blame only three of the team’s six losses on the rookie quarterback’s performance.
“I will say that Mark Sanchez has played well enough to win seven games this year,” Ryan said. “I think the three games that he never played well enough for to us win were obviously the games where he had the multiple interceptions. Clearly, he never played well enough, but in seven of the ten games, I think he did play well enough to win.”
Actually, we count four games in which Sanchez’s performance wasn’t nearly good enough. Against the Saints, he had three picks and a passer rating of 27.0. Against the Bills, Sanchez coughed up five interceptions, good for a passer rating of 8.3.
Against the Jags, Sanchez threw two picks and generated a passer rating of 59.3. Last week, against New England, Sanchez threw four more interceptions, with a passer rating of 37.1.
It remains to be seen whether Sanchez eventually takes a seat.
“That’s not something I think about,” Sanchez said Wednesday in comments distributed by the team. “If that situation ever happened then you just have to go and deal with it. Hopefully, I won’t have to cross that bridge, but if I do, I will [worry about it] when I get there.”
Based on the way he has played the last two weeks, Sanchez might be worrying about it soon.
No point in benching Sanchez….Jets are likely going no where so why bench what they hope is their franchise QB. Unfortuantely the bar was set to high with his early season success. He might as well ride out the rough times. I say this as a Browns fan…No please…..No sorrows do I require from you all :O)
Why does this Mook have to announce the benching? Belichik “benched” Adalius Thomas several weeks ago, but did he go running to the papers and make a huge issue of it? Hold a press conference? No, the scribes noticed Thomas wasn’t going to dress that week and when they asked BB he said the group he was dressing gave him the team the best chance to win – end of story – message to player sent. Ryan can’t help himself. That yap of his motors 24×7. Probably self-preservation. He figures if he blames everyone else the spotlight will stop shining on his fat ass.
Rex is all show. NYC loves that.
As far as getting it done on the field… and his statement that he plans to get involved in the Offense… Hello, you are the HC.
He’s loud and proud… but the bulb burns about 40W
I am a Patriots fan and I don’t really care too much for the J-E-T-S, but right now I kinda feel sorry for Sanchez all season long his head coach and team mates have been writing checks with their mouths that the Sanchize can’t cash, just look at it this way Sanchez it can’t get any worse can it? good luck rookie.
Benching Mark Sanchez? Doubtful. Who would they replace him with; Kellen Clemens? Do that, and the best-case scenario is an Anderson-Quinn situation where Clemens plays out the rest of the year well enough to prompt fan and media conversation and he, and not Sanchez, is the future. Worst-case scenario, he stinks it up, and fans are left wondering why the Jets would ever go back to a guy who lost his job to *that*?
Bottom line, benching your first-round pick to play a young QB who obviously doesn’t fit into your team’s plans long-term is a no-win scenario. If the star rookie QB isn’t ready for prime time, you need to make that decision before the season and find someone else to start while he learns. Starting and benching a rookie under already-insane pressure is a recipe for making Ryan Leaf stew, with a side of Akili Smith.
@DarkHorse8: A Patriots fan would never feel bad for the starting QB of the NY Jets. C’mon. Snap out it.
Ralphie says:
November 25, 2009 9:25 PM
Why does this Mook have to announce the benching? Belichik “benched” Adalius Thomas several weeks ago, but did he go running to the papers and make a huge issue of it? Hold a press conference? No, the scribes noticed Thomas wasn’t going to dress that week and when they asked BB he said the group he was dressing gave him the team the best chance to win – end of story – message to player sent. Ryan can’t help himself. That yap of his motors 24×7. Probably self-preservation. He figures if he blames everyone else the spotlight will stop shining on his fat ass.
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I couldn’t agree with you more Ralphie, but hey that’s the difference with teams handling things the way the J-E-T-S are right now and the way teams like the PATRIOTS, STEELERS AND COLTS handle things no coincidence their always in the top half of the league in winning.
@ralhpie thats probably because he was injured. If he didn’t dress, as you said, its not likely a good coach would tell a player not to dress due to poor performance (if there were injuries and needed to play). If he was that bad, at that age he would just release him. He was probably injured but Bill being Bill decided not to report it, which he frequently refuses to do even though it is in the NFL rules that you are required too. Pats fans always say that “all teams do it” but they have to understand that their team has been caught cheating so many times that when you continue to cheat it often gets a lot of hype. I don’t disagree with your point that there was no need to make a big deal out of the benching of Rhodes (although if you look on most other sports sites you will see that its only a big deal to Florio) but I am simply pointing out that the situation you brought up does not illustrate Bill Belicheck’s quality of coaching nor Rex Ryan’s.
Rex is an embarassment. What purpose is served by explaining to the media that he “benched” Rhodes or worse that he is embarrassed by it. He is the HC and is supposed to do what is best for the team. Stop yapping and start coaching…
Rhodes a good, not great talent.
Rhodes is NOT a free wheeler like E Reed. He has lost all discipline and is playing poor fundamentally.
In other words, someone isn’t coaching too well. Sad to say, but jets coached ALOT better w/Mangini….and that isn’t saying much.
I sent Rhodes an email in early Sept…asking him to shut his mouth and play football…now his mouth is shut from embarrassment
i agree with pretty much everyone else on this. way too high of expectations surrounding a guy who started only 16 games in college. the guy might be good someday, but who really knows. he needs to stop doing such a good jake delhomme impression. until then, this guys a sad sack. at least he says all the right things.
as far as rex, he’s definitely in the right city for this type of shenanigan, but the guy needs to stop being so obnoxious when it comes to his players. if he continues to humiliate them in front of the media, theres going to be a favre-like schism in the jets locker room. who wants to play for a guy who embarasses you week in and week out. who honestly goes and breaks down how many games your qb lost for you, rather than saying the bull about its a team game and all this.
this class sucks how about you enlighten us or the “so many times the pats have been caught cheating” with some actual facts?
Adalius Thomas was a healthy scratch:
http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nfl/news/story?id=4593328
You don’t like the Pats, that’s fine, but no need to make up stuff and state it as fact.
This year the Jets were penalized for injury report shenanigans, so yes, all teams do it.
Ryan’s assessment of 3 games is accurate.
Think about it Florio. SURE, he didn’t play well against the Jags. HOWEVER, with 5 minutes to go he drove the team for the leading TD, and hit Edwards in the chest with the 2 pt conversion which proved deadly that he dropped it (sure, MJD would have scored, but that’s fine, that gave the Jets a ch ance to drive back down). Ryan’s D blew that game. by not closing out the Jags. Rhodes, in particular, blew an assignment costing them 30 yds from midfield to sure FG range. That’s well enough to win. Of course, if he played better, that may not have mattered, but in Ryan’s eyes, if he has the lead with his D, he thinks he should win.
There really isn’t too much hate for Sanchez in New England. The kid has more class than his SOB coach, that’s for sure. He also has talent. He just appears to be going through typical rookie crap where he’s trying to figure out the game. Flacco and Ryan are both hitting the wall this year.
Yet Ryan isn’t ashamed of being a fat-ass head coach? Kind of like the fat PE coach in school.
Wasn’t he Mrs. Ballbreaker in Porky’s?
Rex eats safties for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And second breakfast, brunch, late dinner and midnight snack.
Ryan: less talk, less eating, more wins.
Sanchez: rookie, play more, learn more.
Tannebaum: start looking for a new job.
Jets: not this year or any year Brady is still playing, but when Brady retires….
Ryan is simply an idiot. His hiring interview should have consisted of a single 15 min. mock press conference. The guy says about 5 different times it’s a coaches decision and he’s not going to talk about what happens in the locker room and then he goes on and on for 5+ minutes talking about the decision leading to the embarrassing comment which opens him up to more questions about the several other players who have been embarrassing for another 10+ minutes. Injury report and 18 minutes of talking about embarrassing players — not a single comment or question about revelations from last game’s tape, preparation for this weekend, progress in practice, or what he’s seeing in Carolina. An entire presscon detailing embarrassing play.
Sure, it’s not on the field stuff and doesn’t directly correlate to his leadership of the team, but for all the bad coaches and a few emotional moments, I have never seen a single head coach appear stupider than the dumb flacks asking questions nor someone who simply cannot dismiss idiocy from flacks. That’s telling.
While the embarrassing comment was the lynchpin of this little sideshow, the best comment was claiming that D’Brickashaw Ferguson is, if not the best, the second best LT in the league. Not to take anything away from D’Brick, who is a quality tackle, but JESUS H CHRIST is Ryan insane? Here’s some simple advice Rex: at this point, don’t claim any of your players are the best at anything.
this class sucks says:
@ralhpie thats probably because he was injured. If he didn’t dress, as you said, its not likely a good coach would tell a player not to dress due to poor performance (if there were injuries and needed to play). If he was that bad, at that age he would just release him. He was probably injured but Bill being Bill decided not to report it, which he frequently refuses to do even though it is in the NFL rules that you are required too. Pats fans always say that “all teams do it” but they have to understand that their team has been caught cheating so many times that when you continue to cheat it often gets a lot of hype.
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You idiots just keep coming, I’ll give you that.
If you had a clue about the subject, you’d know that Thomas was PO’d at getting benched. It had zero to do with playing “games” with the injury report. Thomas wasn’t getting the job done, Belichick decided he needed a motivational moment, and he sat the guy out. Didn’t tell Thomas, he didn’t have to. Thomas got the message loud and clear, without any embarrassing statements from his coach.
Why can’t you anti-Patriots dopes just accept the fact that often times, it simply is what it is?
Rhodes is one of the most overrated players in the league. He has been running away from tackles his whole career and do not count on him making a honest tackle. He tackles as high as possible so he does not get run over. He has run into blocks his whole carrer so he does not have to tackle running backs. He is not even the best safety in the AFC EAST, Meriweather is better and so is Whitner.
Rex is an idiot for not benching himself.
Hey Woody! Rex Ryan is a great coach with amazing talent.
You can go home now Mike Shanahan.
Rex didn’t announce the benching. Jay Glazer leaked the story and Rhodes didn’t practice with the first team yesterday. Did you think the reporters in the press conference weren’t going to bring it up?
Ralphie says:
November 25, 2009 9:25 PM
Why does this Mook have to announce the benching? Belichik “benched” Adalius Thomas several weeks ago, but did he go running to the papers and make a huge issue of it? Hold a press conference? No, the scribes noticed Thomas wasn’t going to dress that week and when they asked BB he said the group he was dressing gave him the team the best chance to win – end of story – message to player sent. Ryan can’t help himself. That yap of his motors 24×7. Probably self-preservation. He figures if he blames everyone else the spotlight will stop shining on his fat ass.
Frankly Ralphie, I think there quite a bit of a difference in media coverage in NE than in NY. Someone else mentioned the Steelers and the Colts, and they have the same relative market NE does. All 3 of those teams also have the privilege of less ‘second guessing’ since these teams have been near the top for some time now. Give Ryan his leash and see what he does with it. He might whip, he might hang, and maybe he just gets tangled, but its all entertainment.
Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum how lovely are your J-E-T-S! PSL’s and Mangenious now, Cryan Ryan! Stinkchize too!
So, Rex says you can’t learn anything from the bench and then benches Kerry Rhodes…..?
Pro Bowl to the toilet bowl? Rex, what the hell are you doing? Oh wait, the SuperBowl was week 2….long post-season!
Did you think the reporters in the press conference weren’t going to bring it up?”
I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have asked, “D’Brick got embarrassed by allowing 2 sacks from Banta-Cain, a journeyman linebacker, so does he risk being benched too?” if Ryan hadn’t brought up his and Rhodes mutual embarrassment though either.
Hey Kerry, you seem to have forgotten to update your website with this news.
According to your own website you are the greatest player in the NFL. Just ask you.
Have you embarrassed the Patriots enough yet?
Enjoy the bench.