The low-key New England Patriots and loudmouth New York Jets are polar opposites. Or are they?
Jets linebacker Bart Scott believes that's changing, citing New England wide receiver Wes Welker's now-infamous news-conference mocking of New York coach Rex Ryan as an example.
"That doesn't sound right, that kind of talk (coming from the Patriots)," Scott recently told *Metro* in New York. "That's when you know they're buying into us, when they start sounding like we talk. Wes Welker start trying to be us, sounding like we do. That's how you know they want to be us."
Scott's comments are the latest volley in the increasing back-and-forth between the AFC East rivals. The Jets had the last laugh, beating the Patriots, 28-21, in the divisional round of the playoffs. No-nonsense New England coach Bill Belichickdidn't start Welker, a three-time Pro Bowl pick, in that game as punishment for his references to a foot-fetish video allegedly linked to Ryan.
Scott also had words for his old team, the Baltimore Ravens, whom the linebacker said lost some of their identity when he, safety Jim Leonhard and coach Rex Ryan left for New York in 2009.
"We laugh, we joke, but then we go out there and put in a defensive system. We have our fun, and then on the field, we know what to do. If you study for the test, there's nothing to be nervous about, right? If you don't know what you're doing, that's when you can't have fun. We know what we're doing, but on the field, we back it up, too."
Former Ravens teammate Terrell Suggs chuckled Friday on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" when informed of Scott's comments.
"Billy Bart, really?" Suggs said "... Nah. We have fun. The first year, we had that change, and it was kind of weird. With change, there's a period of adjustment, but we have a lot of fun. You think me and (Pro Bowl defensive lineman) Haloti Ngata don't have a lot of fun? C'mon, now, I'm the most loose guy in the NFL. It's still a very fun, loose locker room."
The Ravens and Jets are scheduled to meet in Baltimore next season, and Suggs -- to borrow a phrase from Scott -- can't wait to see Ryan, his old defensive coordinator.
"I love to play him," Suggs said. "It's so fun."
Scott shares Suggs' admiration for Ryan and is quick to defend his coach, comparing him to President Obama when explaining why some people don't like him.
"It's how he talks and says what he's thinking and how he lets us be loose and talk," Scott told Metro. "People don't think the president is supposed to be black either. They think a president is supposed to look a certain way. It's the same thing with Rex. He doesn't look and act the way other coaches act. And we love him for it."
Scott also loves it when Ryan predicts the Jets will win the Super Bowl, as he did this offseason after losing a second consecutive AFC Championship Game.
"I wasn't surprised. That's how we roll," Scott said. "I mean, were you really surprised? It isn't like we've had a cataclysmic meltdown or a failure. We're must-see TV."
