Detroit – The in-your-face roar has been tamed. The frequent in-huddle explosions have ceased. Ray Rhodes has been quieted.
The change bothers him occasionally, but at least it isn’t killing him.
The new Rhodes must be calm and reasoned. The old Rhodes was a tightly wound man who long relied on his Texas fire as he carved out a reputation as one of the most aggressive defensive coaches in the NFL.
This is a kinder, gentler Rhodes. It was change or die.
Rhodes, a former Broncos defensive coordinator, suffered two minor strokes this season. That changed his life, but Rhodes still feels the cling of what got him here.
Rhodes, 55, has accompanied the Seattle Seahawks to Detroit for Super Bowl XL against Pittsburgh at Ford Field. Seattle’s defensive coordinator, Rhodes will be in the press box Sunday along with his assistant, John Marshall, who has taken charge of the defense during Rhodes’ recovery. Rhodes helps with the game plan, but has reduced his hours at the team’s insistence. He plans to return full time next season.
At practice, he observes from afar. The transition has been difficult, but his second stroke left him no choice. He said he rushed back to work after his first episode and basically disregarded his health.
“At first they had to run me out of the building, but after the second one, nobody had to tell me to leave,” Rhodes said. “It was a big wake-up call for me. I had to slow my pace down, and I did. I still don’t trust myself, because I can get a little too excited at any time.”
Physicians allowed Rhodes to go back to work as long as he gets his rest, lowers his blood pressure and doesn’t stress out as much as he used to. Short hours, steady blood pressure and a calm demeanor aren’t typical traits for a defensive coordinator – especially not Rhodes.
The former head coach at Philadelphia and Green Bay is renowned for outbursts, blue language and marathon workdays. As the coach in Green Bay, Rhodes joked that he woke up every morning in a bad mood.
His mood has changed, but he has had the occasional lapse. Sometimes he watches too much film. During the Seahawks’ victory over the Carolina Panthers in the NFC championship game Jan. 22, Marshall had to tell him to cool down. Rhodes isn’t supposed to wear headsets during games, but slips them on once in a while. He also has pushed the 4 p.m. curfew the team gave him during the work week.
“We all know what this means to Ray Rhodes,” Seattle defensive tackle Chuck Darby said. “But we also know he has to stay healthy. So he has to watch everything. We are still getting a lot from Coach Rhodes and he is doing what he can for us to win it all.”
Marshall said he simply is taking Rhodes’ lead.
“This is Ray’s defense and his scheme,” Marshall said. “Nothing has changed.”
Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said Rhodes’ experience is a reminder to all coaches to relax amidst the chaos.
“All of us in this business get pretty churned up sometimes,” Holmgren said. “Any time a colleague or a good friend has something like this happen to him, you have to think about it.
“The good news is that Ray is feeling better and that he can be here and share in this great experience with us.”
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-820-5450 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
