the jets are talking all kinds of %!!* now
Jets' free safety Kerry Rhodes is set on embarrassing Tom Brady and the Patriots
Rex Ryan says he's not kissing Bill Belichick's rings, and it's pretty clear Kerry Rhodes is not planning to plant a big, wet one on the Patriots,either.
Rhodes, the Jets' free safety who feels liberated on the field in Ryan's schemes and in the locker room where the rookie coach is a proponentof free speech/trash talking, a rarity in the NFL, turned up the heat on one of the NFL's best rivalries yesterday when he told the Daily News he not onlywants to beat the Patriots in Sunday's home opener, he wants to embarrass them. And he said the Jets plan to bounce Tom Brady around.
The Jets are simply tired of getting stepped on by the Pats.
"It's to the point where enough is enough," Rhodes said.
How do the Jets put an end to the madness?
"You go out from the first quarter on, from the first play on, and try to embarrass them," Rhodes said. "Not just go out there and tryto win, try to embarrass them. Try to make them feel bad when they leave here. We don't want to just beat them. We want to send a message to them,'We're not backing down from you and we expect to win this game, and it's not going to be luck, it's not going to be a mistake.'"
Ryan has the Jets believing in themselves.
Can you imagine them talking like this with Eric Mangini in charge? It's about time the Jetsstuck up for themselves. Surely, Rhodes' comments will wind up on the Patriots' bulletin board. "Talk is cheap," Brady said yesterday,referring to Ryan without even knowing what Rhodes said.
It's big talk from a very good player on a team that hasn't won anything in more than 40 years. The Patriots have won three Super Bowls in the lasteight seasons and had an undefeated 16-0 regular season two years ago before the Giants beat them in the Super Bowl.
Rhodes has put himself on the spot. He must have a big game Sunday. And the Jets defense, which suddenly thinks it's the '85 Bears, coached byRex's dad Buddy, better not let Brady throw a party at Giants Stadium.
The Jets have become an aggressive defense, much like Rex Ryan's teams were in Baltimore. But it has played just one game, and it was against anincompetent Houston offense. If Rhodes and the Jets are able to embarrass the Patriots, then something special might be happening here. But not too many teamshave been able to embarrass Belichick's Pats.
"If we do what we are supposed to do and don't make any mistakes, we can," Rhodes said. "Not too many have. We can."
Buffalo sacked Brady just once Monday night in his return from the torn ACL that cost him all but seven minutes of the 2008 season, but hit him six times.That's nothing, according to Rhodes.
"We will hit him more than six times. I promise you that," Rhodes said.
Does he have a number in mind?
"It will be more than six," he said.
The Jets hit Houston's Matt Schaub eight times last week.
"He was getting the ball away quick," Rhodes said. "Brady tries to get the ball downfield, so he will hold it a little longer."
Brady is coming off the ACL injury and wears a knee brace, but Rhodes insists the Jets will not have a bull's-eye on his knee. "No, we won't playdirty," he said. "We are going to play hard to the whistle."
He did say it's "only human nature" for Brady to be thinking about his knee on the field. "I'm sure if somebody is around his leg, or hefeels pressure below, he's not going to step into his throw," he said.
Brady has won three Super Bowls and has seen just about anything a defensive coach can cook up. He never shows signs of being nervous, but Rhodes said Brady isnot immune from being rattled.
"Any quarterback can be rattled," Rhodes said. 'He's one of the best, don't get me wrong. That's evident. Any quarterback, PeytonManning, even if you get in his face, if you rattle the quarterback, you get pressure on the quarterback, any quarterback it is, he's not going to be thesame. Nobody. That's not to say he's not going to come back and make a play after."
Once again, the road to the top of the AFC East, and probably the Super Bowl, goes through New England. Brady did look tentative early against the Bills, buthe threw two touchdown passes to tight end Benjamin Watson in the final 2:06 of a wild 25-24 comeback victory. He completed a career-high 39 passes.
Brady said "this is one of the best Jets teams we have ever faced." He saw the tapes of the Jets defense against Houston and says "you reallyhave to be on high alert against these guys."
When Belichick was asked twice yesterday on a conference call his thoughts about Ryan's ring-kissing comment, he went into a filibuster about how well theJets played Sunday.
In fact, he wouldn't even say where he keeps his rings. Or if he's going to use Ryan's comments as motivation. "Whatever is between me and theteam I think should stay between me and the team," he said.
Ryan is trying to have it both ways this week, saying again yesterday, "I'm not here to kiss a ring," but then saying again that Belichick is abetter coach.
Rhodes wants to embarrass the Patriots. A simple victory would be enough for the Jets.
i swear i love it , win or lose, this is the attitude i always wanted my team with. i'm not gonna be able to sleep for the rest of the week