Dimitri Patterson has heard all the talk about the Jets’ cornerbacks, and the talk isn’t good. They’re Gang Green’s weak link, an injury-riddled Achilles’ heel, yada, yada, yada. Patterson returned to practice Tuesday and told the doubters to keep talking, that he and the rest of the corners’ game film will do their talking for them.
“It’s OK. At the end of the day, that’s the good thing about professional sports, because you have an opportunity to go out and shut people up,’’ Patterson said. “People are going to say whatever they feel they want to say outside the locker room or whatever their opinion is. They have the right to exercise their First Amendment [rights]. That’s fine.
“Opinions are part of professional sports. But at the end of the day, football’s a sport where you go out and you prove it. You just let your film speak for itself. Obviously, people have got a lot of opinions. But the best thing to do when everybody has opinions is go out during the regular season and be consistent and play well, and everything else will take care of itself.”
The Jets’ cornerbacks already were under the microscope before the rash of injuries hit. But top corner Dee Milliner is out with a high ankle sprain, rookie Dexter McDougle suffered a season-ending knee injury and Patterson has missed most of the last week with a host of woes — ankle, calf and quadriceps injuries.
“It’s not an ideal situation, certainly,’’ Rex Ryan admitted. “Obviously, Dee Milliner you feel great about, but with his ankle situation, he can’t be out there if he’s injured. You do the best you can, but you also have to make sure [you look at everybody because] this club hasn’t been made.’’
Patterson returned to practice Tuesday, hopeful of playing Friday’s preseason Snoopy Bowl against the Giants and confident of being ready for the Sept. 7 season opener.
“Oh yeah, no doubt. My goal is to play this week, and I’m doing well,’’ Patterson said. “It’s a long season. You want to make sure that when the live bullets start flying and the regular season comes, you’re at full strength.”
The secondary hasn’t been full strength, and it has showed. The Jets watched Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton go a perfect 8-of-8 for 144 yards and a touchdown last weekend, and suffered through a preseason that leaves doubt whether Ryan will be able to play the way he wants — leaving corners on an island and a safety up close.
It didn’t work when Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu — never a burner — beat cornerback Kyle Wilson and nonexistent deep help for a 43-yard touchdown. It’s also a huge question mark whether it will work with Antonio Allen, who switched from linebacker to safety halfway through college and who the Jets are now trying to turn into a corner, handing him a start Saturday opposite longtime backup Ellis Lankster.
“He played pretty decent, considering,’’ Ryan said. “Obviously the opponent he was going against is a top-notch guy [Bengals receiver A.J. Green]. From a technique standpoint, he had his highs and lows. Unfortunately on one of the lows, you get beat in man coverage at the line of scrimmage you’re in trouble because he doesn’t have the makeup speed that [Green] has obviously, so he got in trouble there. It’s a good learning experience.’’
Though Patterson said it wasn’t his place to critique Allen’s adjustment to the new position, linebacker Calvin Pace expressed confidence in the secondary.
“Injuries happen, so there are numerous teams dealing with it, we just have to be one of them. The guys they put in, they have to show up, and they will,’’ Pace said.
Asked if he would have liked to see the Jets sign any of the big-ticket corners this offseason — Darrelle Revis, Vontae Davis — he replied, “I’m not the GM. … Got to deal with what we’ve got, and like I said, I believe in the guys we’ve got.’’