FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Noted journalism expert Bill Belichick yesterday offered an opinion on what is and isn’t newsworthy.
According to the Patriots coach, Rex Ryan’s stated desire to “kick his [butt]” definitely falls into the non-news category.
Told of Ryan’s colorful threat yesterday, Belichick reacted with dismay when asked for a response heading into Monday night’s AFC East showdown with the Jets.
“Is that a big news story?” Belichick sneered to a Post reporter. “That’s something we didn’t know? [That] the Jets want to win the game? [That] the Patriots want to win?”
Ryan made the “kick his [butt]” comment to a Long Island newspaper on Monday, but Belichick — predictably — wasn’t going to be drawn into a war of words.
Belichick would only say that he knows where Ryan is coming from.
“That [sentiment] is understandable,” Belichick said. “There’s no love lost out there between those two teams. We both want to win. That’s what we’re here for, Jets and the Patriots. I mean, both teams are walking out onto the field to come out victorious.”
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Several Patriots players seemed to acknowledge that Belichick had warned them this week against getting into a trash-talk battle with Ryan or his outspoken Jets.
“We’ve been told to play football,” tight end Alge Crumpler
said. “We’re not going to worry about what’s being said.”
Belichick did not deny telling his players to zip their lips.
“We try to just concentrate on what we have to do — get ready to play [and] be ready to go when the game is scheduled,” Belichick said. “That’s our goal every week, is to do our job, get ready to play and then go play.”
The closest Crumpler would come to verbal warfare with the Jets ended up being a compliment.
“That’s the nature of the Jets,” he said. “They’re going to do what they do. They take after their coach, and they play well. We take after our coach, and we play well.”
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Tom Brady
did not practice yesterday as the Patriots rested his sore foot.
That’s hardly a new development, though. Brady has not participated in the first practice of the week each of the past three games — and New England is 3-0 in those contests.
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Belichick surprised his players after a full-pad practice yesterday by changing the schedule at the last minute and giving them today off.
The Patriots, who like the Jets played on Thanksgiving, are to resume their regular schedule tomorrow.