SAN DIEGO — Just weeks ago, Kerry Rhodes had little idea he would be in the position he finds himself in today.
Rhodes, demoted from his starting safety role after the Jets’ Nov. 22 loss in New England, figured he might be saying “goodbye” at this time of year, perhaps seeing his Jets career come to an unceremonious end.
Instead, Rhodes might be saying “hello” to the kind of career coach Rex Ryan believed he would have in the defense he brought here. Certainly, if the Jets are going to have success against San Diego in today’s AFC divisional game and extend their season, Rhodes is going to have to be a big factor covering Chargers prolific tight end Antonio Gates.
Rhodes, since his benching, has done an excellent job covering some of the league’s top tight ends, including Tampa Bay’s Kellen Winslow and Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez.
Rhodes, who said this week for the first time that he hasn’t “seen eye-to-eye” with defensive coordinator Mike Pettine all year, began his turnaround after he was benched, making himself a poster child for a coach pushing the right buttons.
Rhodes, who went the first
10 games this season without forcing a single turnover, picked off two passes in his first game as a backup, the Jets’ 17-6 win over the Panthers on Nov. 29. He finished with three interceptions and several other big plays that were missing in those first 10 games.
“I turned it around in the Carolina game, but what I really think turned it around was when the D-coordinator [Pettine] came to me before the Tampa Bay game and said, ‘OK, we need you to check Kellen Winslow, shut him down,’ ” Rhodes said. “Having that challenge issued to me made me feel like a part of the defense. Having something big to do to help the team win, I think that kind of turned up the heat for me a little bit more knowing I had to come out and check a guy that was having a great year and be successful.”
Rhodes was asked to do the same the following week against Gonzalez. He caught the game-winning touchdown, but Rhodes wasn’t in man coverage on that play.
“To have a specific role, like, ‘You go out and take Kellen, you take Tony,’ it makes you step your game up knowing that you’re a part of the defense, that you’re counted on to do something in a particular role,” Rhodes said.
He said “it was tough” to swallow being demoted.
“I’ve been an All-Pro-type player here, a player that’s made plays here and the uncertainty of not knowing was tough,” Rhosde said. “I think everyone wants to know what their role is and what they’re looked upon to do.”
Pettine, who never seems to speak of Rhodes in glowing terms, has said on more than one occasion that he felt the demotion was a “wake-up call” for him.
On Thursday, Pettine more than hinted that Rhodes, who has a lot of off-field interests, was too involved in those and not as involved as he needed to be on the field.
“It made me realize that no player is immune to scrutiny, to not starting,” Rhodes said. “It put me in a situation where I had to humble myself and reevaluate the situation to see what I was doing right or wrong and try to right it. That’s the type of guy I am. I want to try to fix it. I’m not going to dwell on it. I think I did a good job of it.”
Asked if he sees his future as a Jet differently now, Rhodes was noncommittal.
“I’ve been too caught up in the moment to think about that,” he said. “I think we have a real shot to do something right now [in the playoffs]. And if we’re going to win, I’m going to be big part of helping the team win.”
That’s surely something Rhodes never thought he would be saying two months ago.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com