New York Jets safety Kerry Rhodes has played well enough in the two weeks since he was taken out of the starting lineup that he thinks he’s earned the right to start again.
But the question of whether or not Rhodes is a starter is starting to aggravate Jets coach Rex Ryan.
“If Kerry feels better about it, I’ll start him,” Ryan said. “If he feels better about it, go ahead, run out there, you’re starting. Take [Jets defensive end] Marques Douglas with you. I don’t care.”
There also seems to be a dispute about what actually constitutes “starting.” Being in the base defense isn’t necessarily the same thing as being on the field for the first play of the game, as the Jets won’t decide which defensive unit they put on the field for the first play Sunday until they see what offensive personnel the Buccaneers put on the field. But Rhodes is apparently confident that he will be on the field at the start of the game.
“I’ll be in there for the first snap. If that’s starting, it’s starting,” Rhodes told reporters. “Who knows at the end of game? I may go up in the press box with you guys and watch it. We’ll see how it goes.”