When Tom Brady makes his point, Rex Ryan has a problem with it.
The Jets coach declared yesterday that he’s not happy with what he perceives as Brady’s celebratory pointing after touchdowns. Ryan referred to them as “antics on the field,” claiming that the conduct of the Patriots quarterback in the Jets’ 45-3 loss to New England last month “took a shot at me.”
“He always points after he scores to everybody. My job is to keep him out of the end zone,” Ryan said before being pressed further on what specific antics he was talking about.
“Brady being Brady,” he said. “I don’t like seeing that, nobody does. No Jet fan likes to see that. And I know he can’t wait to do it. He’s not gonna say anything publicly, but he does it. … It’s what it is. … My job’s to keep him out of the end zone.”
Last week, Ryan took his first poke at Brady by saying Brady only “thinks he” studies as much as Peyton Manning, adding, “I think there’s probably a little more help from [Bill] Belichick with Brady than there is with Peyton Manning.”
On Boston’s WEEI radio yesterday, Brady was asked about Ryan’s comments on his study habits.
“I think everybody’s obviously entitled to their opinion. Maybe he’s right,” Brady said, prompting laughter.
“He’s a good coach. It’s going to be an exciting week for us. I think everyone is already in the game week mode and getting ready and getting prepared. It’s going to be a hell of a game. It’s going to be a tough game. But I’m excited to play the Jets again.”
Brady also insisted the Patriots will “let our play do the talking, as we always do.”
“I’m sure we’ll be prepared going into this game on Sunday,” he said. “The only thing that I really care about is us being ready to play this week. What someone may say about it. … I have a lot of respect for him as a coach and his ability to get his team ready. He does what he needs to do, and I think we’re going to do what we need to do.”
This past Saturday night, Brady went to see the play “Lombardi” in Manhattan, but he insisted that he only missed the first half of the Jets-Colts wild-card game, catching the rest when he returned home. With a smile yesterday, Ryan quipped, “Peyton Manning would have been watching our game.”
Ryan insisted he wasn’t trying to criticize Brady by mentioning him in comparison to Manning last week. But the fact is, Ryan brought up Brady’s name unprompted while talking about Manning.
“My intent was to say that — as good as Tom Brady is, that’s a Hall of Fame quarterback with three Super Bowl rings and all that — I recognize the guy’s an amazing quarterback, everybody knows how he studies. But there is only one Peyton Manning as far as preparation,” Ryan said.
“But again, I understand how it’s going to be a slap, that I took a shot at Brady and all that. He took a shot at me by his antics on the field, so I understand that. That’s what it is. I don’t want him to score, so I’m going to do whatever I can to keep him out of the end zone.
“He’s going to try to look at me and do what he always does after he wins and sprints off onto the field.”
mark.hale@nypost.com