Jets Trade Kerry Rhodes to Arizona Cardinals

[JonLP24]

On Friday, Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum said the Jets would pay a $2 million roster bonus next week to keep safety Kerry Rhodes on the team. Then he uttered the key words: “unless something happens.”

Something happened. On Saturday night, the Jets agreed in principle to trade Rhodes to the Arizona Cardinals, who needed a safety to fill the hole left by the departure of the Pro Bowler Antrel Rolle for the Giants. The Jets will receive a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft and a seventh-rounder in 2011.

Rhodes (6 feet 3 inches, 209 pounds) is bigger than Rolle (6 feet, 202), but is not a good tackler and struggles in coverage. Rolle went to the Pro Bowl last season, with 4 interceptions, 8 passes defended and 71 tackles. Arizona’s new defensive backs coach is the former Jets assistant Donnie Henderson, who coached under Herman Edwards.

“We all know that the safety position was a hole we needed to fill,” Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt said in a statement released by the team. “To be able to do that so quickly and with a proven starter off the N.F.L.’s No. 1 defense is a tremendous positive for our football team. Kerry has the experience and ability to step in right away. He fits a lot of the things that we do defensively, and the prospect of having him alongside a perennial All-Pro like Adrian Wilson is very exciting.”

The Cardinals now have a towering pair of safeties; Rhodes and Adrian Wilson are 6-3.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/sports/football/07jets.html

I like this one. In some ways I feel they upgraded at FS. Plus he came at a very comfortable price unlike the highest paid safety in the NFL.

[DaveinMD]

1. depends on what you want from a safety

if you want an in the box safety, Rhodes might be better. I'm very happy the Giants got Rolle. A coverage safety was a huge need.

[JonLP24]

2. I think he is easily on the same level if not better

Rolle- 6 years
337 tackles, 36 passes defended, 12 INT's, 1.5 sacks,4TD's

Rhodes- 6 years
417 tackles, 47 passes defended, 15 INT's,9 sacks, 0TD's

Rolle is not that great at coverage, out of position many times and he came into the league as a CB but just wasn't cutting it so they moved him back. One thing I will say though when Rolle has the ball in his hands he is VERY dangerous. He was used in a wildcat on a few plays including nearly throwing a TD to Fitzgerald against the Giants. He is very good player don't get me wrong. I still feel Rhodes is an upgrade. :)

[DaveinMD]

3. he's been very good as a safety

not so good as a corner. And that's why those numbers are out of whack. Also, stats never tell you the entire story in football. Rhodes plays in a secondary with the best corner in football. So they shade him to the other side where the ball goes most of the time. Therefore, he sees more balls in his direction and has less room to cover. That defense is just better overall. And of course, the fact that he was at safety all those years means he'd surely have more tackles. And the Jets play him in the box a lot. I've seen Rhodes a lot. He was benched by the Jets halfway through this season. I doubt he's as good as Rolle. The fact that Rolle was sought after by multiple teams demonstrates how good teams thought he was. Arizona matched the Giants offer. Parcells and the Dolphins were in heavy pursuit as well.

[JonLP24]

4. Actually Cards offered 6 million a year

When he refused they let him walk. I thought that was a very generous offer and when he realized no teams would match it he woud come to the Cardinals. Then the Giants turn around and give him 7 million a year. Anyways the fact he was a corner he should have more deflections and more picks and besides Rhodes played as well as Rolle last season in fewer games, more deflections but one less pick which can be explained by an interception Rolle had when Calais Campbell tipped Peyton Manning's pass at the line changing the direction of the pass so he was able to get under it. Myself I've seen Rolle a lot, in fact every single game the past few years since I've been back in AZ and he is out of position too many times and misses too many tackles to be the highest paid safety in the league. However you'll be happy with him because he is very good, just don't expect him to play like he's the best FS there is. To finish, I'll take Rhodes production and for less then half the price than Rolle. That's just me but many fans I know are very happy with this move.

[DaveinMD]

5. the Cardinals matched the Giants offer

he chose to sign with the Giants anyhow.

How he played at corner is irrelevant. He just wasn't any good at the position. That's why they made him a safety and he's been pretty darn good at the position. He's a better player than Rhodes.

[JonLP24]

6. I disagree

Rhodes is #2 behind Reed while Rolle is down at 67.
http://www.profootballfocus.com/by_position.php?tab=by_position&season=2009&pos=S&stype=r&runpass=&teamid=-1&numsnaps=25&numgames=1

Also all I can find is that Rolle said the Cardinals were willing to match the offer not that they did. Either way I'm glad they didn't overpay for him.

[DaveinMD]

7. what are those stats based on?

Rhodes wasn't even #2 on his team. He was benched. Rolle himself said the Cardinals matched the offer.

Individual performance is very hard to quantify in football with stats, because each individual is dependent on the other. The only way to know is you have the coaches film and the knowledge of responsibility on a given play. Being that three teams would give big money to Rolle, while Rhodes was available for a late round draft choice tells you all you need to know about value.

[JonLP24]

9. He was benched... then came up with the two interceptions against Carolina

It's very thorough and based on run defense, pass defense, tackles, passes thrown nearby, percentage caught, etc.

Look at Rolle's game-by-game. He was in positive territory just 4 times, twice against Seattle, once against St Louis, and his best game against the Giants(I can see why you are so high). All the other games he was in negative or less than 1 +/-.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that his second worst overall game and worst game in pass D just happened to be when Kenny Britt scored the winning TD off of him. Before you say a still pic is misleading Britt ran right by Rolle if you watch the replays.


I've wondered about those picks. I think the draft must be deep because Baltimore traded a 4th for Boldin and NYJ traded a 3rd for Cromartie when really I think they're worth for at least a second rounder. Though sometimes teams make bad trades like when Oakland traded Moss to NE for a 4th round pick.

[DaveinMD]

12. all those stats are meaningless

they are largely dependent on the defense that is played, how the player is used and how well others on the defense played. Rolle was largely an impact in the run game because they rarely played him close to the line of scrimmage. He played as a pure free safety. Rhodes was used differently. But he was used so poorly he was benched than then basically given away in a trade. Rex Ryan, who has coached some very good safeties, couldn't wait to get him off his team. And Rex Ryan isn't Al Davis. Using him to explain other trades doesn't make sense.

[JonLP24]

14. They're meaningless because it doesn't support your point of view

Let me guess it's a coincidence Ed Reed is #1?

Again Rolle is very good but he gets burnt more often then the top corners and the stats support that.

[DaveinMD]

16. the entire system is nonsense in a bunch of ways

Gibril Wilson better than Ryan Clark? Not at all.

Reed Doughty better than Adrian Wilson? Not any game that I watched.

Kerry Rhodes better than Sensebaugh? Not from the games I watched last year. And I watch a ton of games. These stats just don't meet the sniff test.

[DaveinMD]

17. According to the same site

Vincent Jackson was a better receiver than Larry Fitzgerald. So was Sidney Rice. Fitz was only 6th in the league at the position. Please.

[DaveinMD]

18. and

Davone Bess was the 10th best WR in the NFL. I'm sure I'll find more issues as I go more into that site.

[DaveinMD]

19. one more for fun

David Garrard was rated higher than Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb, Carson Palmer and Tony Romo. Good stuff.

[JonLP24]

23. That's a fair point

However Rhodes beats Rolle in every statistical category except for touchdowns scored unlike Romo who has better stats than Garrard.

[DaveinMD]

24. it almost impossible

to quantify safety play. Maybe teams threw more at Rhodes because he wasn't as good. That happens with secondary players all the time.

[DaveinMD]

8. This from a Philly reporter

Rolle immediately makes the Giants better. They allowed 31 touchdown passes last season (only the Detroit Lions allowed more) and their safety play was atrocious. This season with Kenny Phillips coming back from knee surgery and Rolle, a fellow Miami Hurricane, playing alongside him, the New York secondary will be much improved.

Asked how good a safety tandem they will be, Rolle said: “The best in the league, hands down. The sky’s the limit for us. We’re definitely going to go out and make things happen.”

The Giants paid a bundle for Rolle – five years, $ 37 million with a $ 15 million guarantee – but it is a solid investment in a 27-year-old player who is only getting better. He would have been a very nice fit at free safety in the Eagles secondary. He is a big-time hitter and playmaker. He has had 10 interceptions and four touchdowns in the past three seasons.

http://www.csnphilly.com/pages/landing?NFL-Notebook-Pickings-Growing-Slim-for-E=1&%20blockID=192933&%20feedID=704

[JonLP24]

10. Of course he makes the Giants better

I'm not disputing that. Just Rhodes>Rolle and at a better price too. MHO.

[DaveinMD]

11. Rhodes

isn't better than Rolle and its not really close. There is a reason the Jets benched Rhodes during the season and there is a reason he was available for a low draft choice.

[JonLP24]

13. I get that he was in a down year

but he had more deflections and almost as many picks as Rolle. Also the DBs coach Donnie Henderson was the Jets D Coordinator with Rhodes first few seasons. He wanted him. Trust me when I say this, Rolle gets burnt often and misses tackles. Good luck when they play Romo and McNabb.

Anyways I posted how he is more productive many times over even in a down year but you discount it.

[DaveinMD]

15. I saw Rhodes a lot last year

he's just not very good. He got more passes defended because he was rotated to the side opposite Revis. Teams don't throw at Revis for a reason. Football cannot be measured with individual stats. Rhodes' play was very poor. Rolle on the other hands played on a team with average corners at best. He had to cover a lot more ground. Especially when Wilson was used at the line of scrimmage so often. These sabermetric stats for football don't take this into account. The game film does.

[JonLP24]

20. I saw Rolle a lot myself

That is why I haven't left this topic alone. I will say Rogers-Cromartie is much better than average. It was McFadden and Adams that was picked on a lot especially when Ralph Brown went down. Those two are below average when it comes to #2 and #3 CB in the NFL. It is true Wilson was used a lot as the line but they offset this with safety Matt Ware. In fact you can see him (#22) in the picture of Britt scoring on Rolle.

Also Rhodes was a 1st team All-pro selection the year before Revis came in the league so he is very capable of being a top safety even if he did have a down year last year.

[DaveinMD]

21. Cromartie

is very inconsistent. And their other corners are not even average. Whether Ralph Brown is on the field or not. I saw enough of Ralph Brown as a Giant to know this. Maybe Rhodes will play better for the Cardinals. But Ryan employs a defense where safeties flourish. Its certainly a red flag that Ryan wanted him gone.

[JonLP24]

22. Not true

The only game Rogers-Cromartie was bad in was against the Colts and when he got faked out by Steve Smith on a long pass against which was set up by a screen pass to him on the series before. I watched every game this year and he was always making a deflection on pass or to make an interception. Hell the Giants scored a TD off of a deflection of his.

You can make a case on Rolle/Rhodes or what not but I could not be happier with Rogers-Cromartie play this season and strongly disagree he was inconsistent. He had one bad game and was fooled by a fake screen. That is the only thing I can recall that was negative and I watched every second of every game.

"And their other corners are not even average." <---I said that. Besides Cromartie they got nobody and do hope they fill a need

[DaveinMD]

25. I disagree

but I'll let it slide. Nice talking with you. I always enjoy talking sports with you. Have a good evening.