Monday, Dec 19, 2011 09:22 AM

Jets coach Ryan doesn't waste time in firing shots at Giants

NEW YORK -- Rex Ryan got on the phone, paused for a second and then offered the one positive thought he could muster.

"Well, I got up this morning," the New York Jets coach deadpanned, "so that's a good thing."

But Ryan was just getting started on setting the tone Monday for a wild week leading up to a huge showdown with the rival Giants. For anyone who wondered if the bold and brash coach would be muffled by what he called a "horrible performance" Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, not a chance.

"Quite honestly, I never came here to be little brother to anybody," Ryan said on a conference call. "So, it's on."

Ryan obviously wasn't happy about the 45-19 drubbing by the Eagles, a game that some Jets players called "embarrassing." There were turnovers, breakdowns and missed opportunities. Mark Sanchez got knocked around again, and the Jets' pride -- and playoff standing -- took a hit.

But, in typical Ryan fashion, the coach used his mouth to shove all that aside. Not that Saturday's Giants-Jets game needed more hype. In his book that came out during the offseason, Ryan boasted that the Jets were the "big brother" of New York-area football.

"Certainly, we were the better team the first two years," Ryan said. "We made the playoffs and went to the (AFC) championship game. To say a team's better than you that never made the playoffs is ridiculous. ... We get to prove it Saturday who the best team is this year."

Ryan did acknowledge that both the Jets (8-6) and Giants (7-7) are having "disappointing" seasons, but they're still in position to make the playoffs. The Jets hold the last AFC wild-card spot with a tiebreaker edge over the Bengals -- for now. The tiebreaker advantage New York holds over Cincinnati could change, however, by the end of the season.

Another saving grace was the fact that the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders -- teams chasing the Jets -- also lost Sunday.

"We had a setback, but when we look up, it seemed like the rest of the NFL had a setback," Jets linebacker Bart Scott said. "I don't know, it was one of those days, if it was a full moon the night before, something in the Kool-Aid. It was one of those days."

Meanwhile, the Giants still can win the NFC East with victories over the Jets and Dallas Cowboys.

Neither team would be completely out of it with a loss Saturday.