Remember when Kerry Rhodes was ushered out of the Jets locker room unceremoniously by disgusted defensive coaches who viewed him as a poser with an inflated sense of self worth and a refusal buy into the system and be the physical safety they needed him to be?
Yes, that Kerry Rhodes.
Seconds before halftime of the Cardinals 27-6 win over the Eagles last week, Rhodes burst into the Philadelphia backfield on a blitz and plowed into Michael Vick on his blind side, violently separating him from the ball, which was scooped up by fellow safety James Sanders and returned 93 yards for a touchdown.
The end result left the Cardinals with a 3-0 record for the first time since 1974, when the franchise was based in St. Louis.
The Cardinals, who are one of three remaining undefeated teams, have been the biggest surprise through three weeks. But should they be a surprise?
The Cardinals have won 10 of their past 12 regular-season games and have won seven straight at home. So this team has been playing good football for a while.
After getting Kevin Kolb by trade from the Eagles in the 2011 offseason (and doling out a five-year, $65-million deal), the Cardinals appeared — on paper, at least — to address a significant offensive need. But Kolb struggled last season, was injured, returned, and was injured again — with former Fordham QB John Skelton filling in ably.
Kolb had a shaky preseason and, almost by default, lost the battle for the starting job to Skelton, a former fifth-round draft pick. Neither QB performed particularly well — it was like a player winning a big golf match with a bogey on the last hole.
When Skelton suffered an ankle injury late in the season opener against the Seahawks, Kolb entered, led the team on an 80-yard game-winning touchdown drive and he has not let go of the job since. Suddenly, Kolb has been the quarterback the Cards envisioned when they got him.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt has been non-committal about what he will do when Skelton is healthy enough to play again, but it’s hard to imagine Kolb being yanked if the Cardinals stay the current course.
“I don’t even want to think about it right now,” Kolb told the media after the Philadelphia game. “I just want to stay focused. Because I’ve done it in the past, you know, tried to foresee the future, and every time it comes up and knocks my legs out from under me.”
As impressive as Kolb’s resurgence has been, the Cardinals have done it with defense first. Entering today’s home game against the Dolphins, the Cardinals’ are tied for second in the league with 12 sacks. They allow just 5.9 yards per pass attempt (third in league), a 53.8-percent completion rate (fourth)have allowed just two passing touchdowns (tied for first).
“Our offense doesn’t have to be great,” Rhodes told Yahoo! Sports after the Eagles game. As long as they play smart, don’t turn the ball over and make plays … we feel we can dominate.”
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com