Don’t mess with defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers, the most important Jet nobody talks about

[Gas2No99]

Don’t mess with defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers, the most important Jet nobody talks about

 

Kacy Rodgers has been an invaluable asset to the Jets defense, which ranks among the top in the NFL.  (KATHY WILLENS/AP)

 

by Manish-ït Crystal-Mehta-ne 

Kacy Rodgers' blood was boiling as he stood alone in a Florida parking lot all those years ago, riled up, pissed off and ready to give that player, who had crossed the line in the morning, a whuppin' he wouldn't forget.

Rodgers' charming Southern disposition had been replaced with a fire that relayed a clear message: Never disrespect him as a coach.

"Meet me in the parking lot after practice, mutha f----er!" the Dolphins' defensive line coach told the player before hurling a seemingly endless string of colorful metaphors.

Rodgers was hot, agitated and willing to teach that much younger (and stronger) man a lesson. So, he waited for the guy by his car as the rest of the Dolphins coaches waited quietly in a meeting room. When Rodgers eventually walked in, he hadn't taken a swing at anybody. He was too smart for that. He just needed to blow off some steam.

Todd Bowles, Miami's secondary coach at the time, kept his head down, trying to compose himself. He failed.

"I was trying not to laugh, but I finally looked at him and I just lost it," Bowles remembered, laughing to tears all these years later. "That's probably the funniest thing I've ever seen. God, it was hilarious. It was something to see."

Rodgers is the most important member of the Jets that nobody talks about. For all the discussion about Bowles' even-handed culture-changing demeanor and Chan Gailey's wealth of institutional knowledge, the Jets defensive coordinator is easy to overlook.

"When your head coach is a former coordinator in the spot you're at, it's tough, but there's no egos here," linebackers coach Mike Caldwell said. "Kacy understands that it's our defense and it's running smoothly."

Our defense.

It's something that Bowles deeply believes in whenever somebody is quick to shower him with praise. There's no denying Bowles is the anchor for one of the league's best defenses, but Rodgers has been an invaluable asset. His fingerprints were all over a unit that finished second against the run, fourth in fewest yards allowed and ninth in scoring defense last season.

"Kacy is a big part of this defense," Bowles said. "He does a hell of a lot. He doesn't get the credit that he deserves, but he was major last year doing so much stuff. It was unbelievable."

"Some guys can just coach D-line, but he had a feel for the entire game," Bowles added. "He has a way with people. He's demanding, he's fair, he's straight, he's tough. He's very smart. He's open to new ideas. He's an outstanding teacher. I can't say it any better than that…. We see things the same way."

Todd Bowles and Rodgers make up the Jets' dynamic coaching duo.

  (RICH BARNES/GETTY IMAGES)

Rodgers, who spent seven seasons with Bowles on the Dallas and Miami staffs, is much more than a confidante. He's a damn good coach, who has earned the respect of his players. Safety Marcus Gilchrist loves Rodgers for "harping on the little things ALL THE TIME" to maximize his talent.

"When we mess up or it doesn't go right," the veteran said, "we're going to feel that energy from him."

Rodgers won't B.S. his players. He understands that respect goes both ways.

"He's going to tell you the truth about yourself," cornerback Buster Skrine said. "That's what you got to respect about him, because you got some coaches that smile to your face and then the next thing you know, you're cut. He's going to keep it real. He treats you like a grown man. You're either going to be a grown man and have a nice career or you're going to be a little boy and eventually be gone."

Players and coaches often joke that Bowles and Rodgers must share a brain, but the defensive coordinator is his own man. "They have their inside jokes," defensive line coach Pepper Johnson said. "They have their bickering, but they come together smoothly."

"He's more charming than I am," Bowles said with a smile. "He has the gift of gab. Kacy can talk his way out of a paper bag. He has that Southern charm. I can go from 0 to 60 pretty quick. Kacy's probably a little calmer than me… as hard as that might seem to believe. I'm probably a little more volatile. He uses some things as a teaching moment where I might forget the teaching moment and go off the handle."

There's no good cop-bad cop dynamic. When Bowles erupts, Rodgers steps aside and waits until the cyclone has safely passed. When Rodgers makes his way to the players' parking lot (it's only happened once, by the way), Bowles knows that his friend will eventually take a few deep breaths and return as the lovable Southern guy that he is.

They are the ideal tag team, kindred spirits.

But they're flawed. Maybe one more than the other.

"His personality does not fit his singing voice. I can tell you that much," Bowles said. "He tries to sing. He's a soprano in a big body. And it doesn't work very well…. One day I was riding in the car with him and he started singing. I jumped back and looked at him like, 'Oh my God. This is bad.'"

Thankfully, Rodgers' football acumen is much better.

 

 

 

[Gas2No99]

2 minutes ago, Gas2No99 said:

"He's more charming than I am," Bowles said with a smile. "He has the gift of gab. Kacy can talk his way out of a paper bag. He has that Southern charm. I can go from 0 to 60 pretty quick. Kacy's probably a little calmer than me… as hard as that might seem to believe. I'm probably a little more volatile. He uses some things as a teaching moment where I might forget the teaching moment and go off the handle."

There's no good cop-bad cop dynamic. When Bowles erupts, Rodgers steps aside and waits until the cyclone has safely passed. When Rodgers makes his way to the players' parking lot (it's only happened once, by the way), Bowles knows that his friend will eventually take a few deep breaths and return as the lovable Southern guy that he is.

Bowles is NO JOKE!