09/20 — Kerry Rhodes has gotten a reputation as an NFL safety who can do it all — cover wideouts and tight ends, tackle running backs behind the line, pressure quarterbacks — at a very high level.

Now he's showing he can do it all on and off the field. On Tuesday the Jets defensive captain will be introduced as a member of the new advisory board of the Arena Football League's New York Dragons.

In other words, Kerry is now a pro football owner.

"I'm not the sole owner," Rhodes told Vic Carucci and Dan Leberfeld on today's "Press Coverage" show on Sirius NFL Radio — and no doubt reassuring head coach Eric Mangini at the same time. "I don't have to handle stuff day-to-day. I don't have to get that much involved right now. I take feedback and I give them feedback as well.

"But they know my business is out on the field right now, helping my team win and being the team leader that I am here."

Indeed, Rhodes and the Jets are on the way to San Diego now in advance of their first Monday Night Football appearance since Christmas night 2006, this time against the Chargers in San Diego.

No. 25 acknowledges the tough challenge posed by the 0-2 Chargers with the high-powered offense, but he also said his unit is up for that challenge.

"I know this year's defense, we have the makings to be real good," he said. "Our front seven have been pretty dominant in these first couple of games. It just frees us up so much more in the secondary to be able to make plays and be a real good secondary because the front seven is playing so good. And we're stopping the run, so we're trying to make teams one-dimensional.

"We have a chance to be real good, man. If the guys continue to buy into Coach Mangini's scheme and Bob Sutton's scheme, we have a chance to be one of those special units."

They'll get the chance to show that on ESPN in prime time. And the next afternoon, after a cross-country flight, Rhodes will join his fellow Dragons advisory board members — including Giants LB Danny Clark, Dragons All-Arena DB Billy Parker, Dragons head coach Weylan Harding, new Dragons managing partner Steven Silva and new chief operating officer Tim Kelly — at a news conference at the Sports Museum of America in New York.

Rhodes will really make a grand entrance as a new (part-)owner if he's coming off a Monday night NFL conquest.

Aching Legs

Reggie Hodges, the Jets' new punter signed Tuesday, has been added to the team's injury report today as questionable for the Chargers with a left thigh injury.