"One week after having his starting job taken away, safety Kerry Rhodes was back playing in the base defense Thursday night in the second quarter. Rhodes said yesterday he knew he would get his job back, but he wasn't sure when.

Earlier in the week, Rhodes said there was one thing coach Rex Ryan wanted him to do before he could return to his starting role, but Rhodes wouldn't reveal it.

Asked yesterday, Rhodes said Ryan wanted him to sit down with defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman, a former NFL defensive back who was a mentor to Ronnie Lott and coached the likes of Ed Reed.

"[Ryan] wanted me and DT to meet on a personal level," Rhodes said. "[Thurman] has worked with a lot of great safeties and he wanted me and DT to meet and talk not just Xs and Os, but how he taught football to those other guys. He was a mentor to Ronnie Lott. Just hearing a name like that makes you want to tune in a little bit."

Rhodes and Thurman spoke on Tuesday.

"[In] Dennis Thurman, we're fortunate to have a secondary coach that taught Ronnie Lott how to study opponents and film," Ryan said. "He had a decent pupil in Troy Polamalu. He had another one in Ed Reed and Rod Woodson. He played a long time in this league as a tremendous player. Why anybody wouldn't take advantage of that is beyond me.""