By Tom Rock
Kerry Rhodes said it felt as if there were 52 Rutgers alums on the team when he walked in this morning. Then he conceded that he is lucky there aren’t any true Scarlet Knights, because nearly everyone had something to say to him. Most of the comments were not supportive, keep-your-chin-up pats on the back, either. As Rhodes walked into the locker room this afternoon, one teammate yelled out "F--- Louisville!"
Rhodes, a Louisville product, was looking forward to Thursday night’s game in Piscataway. But he said after the game he had trouble sleeping, and when he did doze off he woke up in a cold sweat. “I definitely didn’t think they would come out that good,” he said of Rutgers, which beat his Cardinals and eliminated Louisville from a chance at the national title.
Rhodes said that the problem for Louisville was clear. When he attended the game last week against West Virginia, the Cardinals won. When he was watching on TV last night, they lost. He’s the Bob Glauber of college football, and his presence was sorely missed by Louisville.
Rhodes wasn’t the only Jets player keeping an eye on an alma mater last night. Rookie T D’Brickashaw Ferguson was pleased that his former high school, Freeport, won its playoff game. “Hey, Freeport won,” I told him as he walked past me in the hall. “They always do,” he smiled. Though next week’s game against East Meadow could be a tough one. He should take a lesson from Rhodes and not do too much locker room posturing leading up to that one.
Mangini was asked if Belichick’s coldness toward him bothered him at all, and he continued to maintain that his feelings toward his mentor have not changed even if his mentor’s feelings have. He spoke about how, when he and Belichick were with the Jets, Belichick snagged backstage passes for Eric and his wife Julie for a Springsteen concert (Julie is a big Springsteen fan). He recalled walking past The Boss (Bruce, not Parcells) and Bill saying “OK, Julie, don’t pass out!”
“Those are the types of experiences that we share together,” Mangini said. “It’s those types of positive experiences that won’t change. I have a lot of great memories of our friendship.”
Mangini said he would still be willing to call Belichick for Springsteen tickets. I’m not sure he’d get a call back, though. The feud appears to be one-way.
Thanks again to everyone who joined the online chat on Thursday night. It was fun.