Kerry Rhodes called Brett Favre a “disruptor” as the New York Jets’ QB
It’s common knowledge that then-head coach Eric Mangini was not pleased when the New York Jets traded for Brett Favre ahead of the 2008 season. In fact, it took plenty of convincing by owner Woody Johnson to get Mangini on board to bring in the former Green Bay Packers quarterback. Speaking on “The Herd,” former Jets safety Kerry Rhodes gave some insight on the dysfunction caused by Favre’s presence during his time with the team.
When asked how the locker room reacts to a player who isn’t the “status quo,” Rhodes gave some interesting insight into Favre’s actions with the Jets.
“Yeah, Brett coming in was definitely a disruptor,” said Rhodes. “We loved the idea. I loved the idea. He was a good friend of mine during the time we were playing. But you started seeing fractures. He wasn’t a guy that actually dressed in the same locker room with us. So even just the dynamic of how a locker room works, he didn’t fit that mold; and so you start having things happen when you know, as the season progresses. We had a great year. I think we were [8-3] at one point … when you’re winning, that covers a lot of things. As soon as you get an injury – [and] he had an injury that he didn’t tell the team. He tried to fight through it to be tough, and you know that’s part of his DNA.”
While Favre was playing through an injury, there were oddities that didn’t sit well with some members of the locker room. This included Favre dressing on game day in the coaches’ locker room during the Jets’ four-loss skid to end the season.
“As a team, before he got there, we would wear suits on the away games and get ready to play,” said Rhodes. “He would not do that. He would wear his wranglers, he would wear jeans, would be comfortable. So things like that start to creep in, and then it’s not about the team anymore.”
As many Jets fans know, the 2008 team was off to an incredible start while Favre was healthy. Through the first 11 games of the season, Favre was ninth in passing yards (2237), tied for fourth with 18 passing touchdowns, and was fourth in completion percentage (69.8) among all quarterbacks. Then, Favre tore his biceps, unraveling his and the Jets season. The team would go on to lose four of its final five games and miss the playoffs, finishing with a 9-7 record on the year.
Favre contemplated retirement only to return to the NFL and play for the Minnesota Vikings. There, he led the Vikings to a 12-4 record, first in the NFC North, and a conference championship appearance. Meanwhile, the Jets’ 1-4 stumble cost Mangini his job, paving the way for the Rex Ryan era.
