A pair of New England Patriots' castoffs have been among the New York Jets' offseason standouts thus far.
The Jets staff has been impressed with edge rusher Jermaine Cunningham and cornerback Ras-I Dowling, selected by the Pats in the second round of the 2010 and 2011 NFL Drafts, respectively.
Coach Rex Ryan is charged with turning their careers around at Florham Park.
"I don't believe the one guy up in New England's got all the answers," Ryan told the New York Daily News. "I worry about ourselves, what we think of a player and how we evaluate a player. Do I respect the hell out of Bill (Belichick)? Absolutely. But if we think a player can help us, we don't care how we get him."
This isn't the first time Rex has poked the big AFC East bear. Upon being hired by the Jets, he famously said he didn't come to New York to kiss Bill Belichick's rings.
Two years later, the Jets coach billed a playoff battle as all "about Bill Belichick vs. Rex Ryan," adding that there's "no question" it's personal.
Ryan does indeed respect "the hell" out of Belichick. His twin brother, Rob, got his NFL start under Belichick as a linebackers coach. But Rex also wants to measure himself against the best.
The Jets are never going to win the division if their head coach kowtows to a legend.
It's not like Belichick is infallible. He has misjudged Albert Haynesworth, Chad Johnson and Joey Galloway, among others. Ask Patriots fans about his record of drafting early-round wide receivers.
All NFL organizations miss on evaluations from time to time. Ryan just enjoys tweaking football scribes with a penchant toward kissing those Belichick rings.
With Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie out of the picture, Ryan is also willing to sort through Belichick's discard pile for a talented press-man cornerback. Who can blame him?
In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the heroes talk "Hard Knocks" before delving into a new batch of rookie whispers.
