"After coach Rex Ryan told Kerry Rhodes that he was demoting him from the starting safety spot he has held with the Jets since 2005, Rhodes did some serious soul searching Tuesday night.

"When I [was told] my mind was going into, 'Well, maybe I should go do some other stuff,'" Rhodes said yesterday. "You just think about a lot of stuff. If your coach doesn't think you're doing enough for your team then you start to question yourself as a player."

Rhodes was signed to a five-year, $33.5 million contract extension in April of 2008, so don't look for him to be transitioning into a new career anytime soon, despite the fact that he's dabbled in some modeling and movies off the field.

What Ryan is hoping for instead is a renewed sense of urgency and playmaking from Rhodes, who's started all 74 games he's played in the NFL, a streak that will come to an end Sunday when the Jets start Eric Smith against the Panthers at Giants Stadium."