Cue the breakup songs.
Rex Ryan is livid at former first lieutenant and current Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine, who recently told a rip-roaring anecdote about a New York Jets defensive playbook that might have once ended up in the hands of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Asked Thursday if the Pats ever landed a copy of the playbook, Ryan said, "Go talk to Mike Pettine. I don't know."
Ryan assured reporters that the hypothetical episode is blown out of proportion, but went on to vacillate between bewildered and angry.
"I don't understand what he's trying to gain by it," Ryan continued. "... Everyone needs to talk to Mike Pettine 'cause he's got all the answers."
Growing increasingly agitated as he addressed the subject, Ryan dropped the word "ridiculous" numerous times.
Don't count on fences being mended anytime soon.
Ryan quipped that his relationship with Pettine is "in a bad spot now. ... Like, 'Really dude?'"
Although Ryan insisted that Bill Belichick never had an unfair advantage in their battles because the Jets' defensive playbook is constantly changing, this isn't a betrayal he's likely to forget anytime soon.
"(Pettine) needs to learn to be quiet," Ryan blurted in summary. "Absolutely."
In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys make the case that multiple teams have closed the gap on the Seahawks and 49ers in the NFC.