FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Jets coach Rex Ryan has done what many considered impossible — get a rise out of Bill Belichick’s Patriots.
Famous for their stoned-faced aversion to trash talk under Belichick, two prominent Patriots fired back at Ryan for his recent run of Super Bowl predictions and mocked the Jets’ decision to take part in HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series.
The Patriots won’t have to wait long to see if they can put a dent in Ryan’s title plans, because the Jets play host to Tom Brady & Co. on Sept. 19 in a Week 2 matchup at New Meadowlands Stadium.
Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain told The Post yesterday that Ryan’s boasts — which include writing “Soon To Be Champs” on the side of ESPN’s touring camper last week — haven’t gone unnoticed by Gang Green’s AFC East rival.
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“They’re in our division, so it’s going to be in the back of our minds that they’re going to try to talk their way into a Super Bowl,” Banta-Cain said after a joint practice with the Super Bowl-champion Saints outside Gillette Stadium. “We try not to worry about them. If [Ryan’s predictions] is the motivation they need, then good for them. In the end, it all comes down to what you do, not so much what you say.”
After claiming he “couldn’t care less about the Jets,” running back Laurence Maroney told The Post that Ryan’s boasts make the Patriots look forward to the two regular-season meetings even more than usual. The Foxborough rematch is Dec. 6 on “Monday Night Football.”
“[The Jets] feel like they got it, and that’s their own opinion,” Maroney said. “The good thing about it is, we’ve got to play the games. That’s the good thing about this sport. If football was determined off talk and paper stats, a lot of teams would have won. The great thing about it is, you’ve got to come out every Sunday and perform.”
Neither Belichick nor Brady has taken the bait this summer as far as returning fire at Ryan. But Maroney couldn’t resist — at least a little bit — after a question about watching the Jets’ “Hard Knocks” premiere last night appeared to set him off.
“I don’t care what they do,” he said defiantly. “Me watching them? How is that going to help us?”
Maroney also appeared to confirm the long-running notion in the NFL that Belichick views the behind-the-scenes TV series as a horrifying distraction that would never be allowed in his camp.
“Right now ain’t the time to be funny — [camp] is time to get business done,” Maroney said.