Rhodes was hired by the Seahawks in
March of 2003 after leaving the Denver Broncos. Rhodes also worked with Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren
in 1992 and 1993 as Green Bay's defensive coordinator. After he suffered a mild
stroke in September of 2005, Rhodes became an assistant coach while linebackers
coach John Marshall was promoted to defensive coordinator, a position he still
holds. Rhodes is known for improving the defenses he works with, but also relying on zone schemes that
can bend to the point of breaking. The Seahawks suffered losses under his watch
that were predicated on "prevent defenses", passive zone schemes in
which the idea was to allow short late gains. The most graphic example came
in a 2004 loss to the St. Louis Rams at Qwest Field. The Seahawks enjoyed a
27-10 lead with 8:42 left in regulation, but the Rams scored 23 unanswered points
and won the game in overtime.
However, Rhodes also used his great
feel for defensive personnel to help the Seahawks land players such as Marcus Trufant and Lofa Tatupu.
Rhodes played receiver and cornerback
for the New York Giants from 1974-1979, and the San Francisco 49ers in 1980.
His coaching career began in 1981, when he was named the 49ers' assistant secondary
coach. He has been the defensive coordinator for five teams (San Francisco,
Green Bay, Washington, Denver, Seattle). Rhodes amassed a 29-34-1 record as
the Philadelphia Eagles' head coach from 1995-1998, and an 8-8 record as the
Packers' head coach in 1999.
The 57-year-old Rhodes will work
with defensive coordinator Richard Smith and secondary coach John Hoke.