PAT ON BACK

TOM BRADY’S impending four-game DeflateGate suspension theoretically gives the rest of the AFC East hope to topple the Foxborough-based Evil Empire, but the newer, quieter Jets aren’t necessarily giddy that the Patriots pretty-boy quarterback will be sidelined for the first month of the season.

“(Jimmy) Garoppolo can play,” Todd Bowles told the Daily News with a straight face. “They don’t worry about who they have. They just have a system in place and they go play football. I think people underestimate that. You still have to knock off the champs. It’s theirs until somebody takes it from them.”

Surely, Garoppolo and his 31 career pass attempts aren’t scaring anyone, but Bill Belichick’s team might not be as vulnerable as you think without its all-world signal caller for a few games.

“I don’t know,” Sheldon Richardson told The News about whether the division is up for grabs now that Brady has decided not to appeal his suspension to the Supreme Court. “I don’t like playing the Patriots when he’s not on the field. I like knocking the top dogs off their chair. Personally, I like the challenge. I like going against the best. He’s one of the best. Probably the best to ever play.”

The Patriots and Jets have the quintessential love-hate relationship. They love to hate each other.

The animus has a rich history, ratcheted up by Rex Ryan & Co.’s chatter for six glorious seasons, but this version of Gang Green isn’t shy about professing its respect for the quarterback and head coach, who have been perpetual pains in their buttocks.

Richardson, never bashful to tell it like it is, has a “high” level of respect for his division foes.

“Just because I don’t like them,” the Jets defensive lineman said, “doesn’t mean I have to be disrespectful to them.”

The Patriots have dominated the AFC East landscape with seven consecutive division titles, including 12 of the last 13, but Richardson has only experienced white knucklers with Brady. The Jets are 2-4 against New England since Richardson entered the league. Those four losses were by a combined 13 points.

“Brady makes that team go,” Eric Decker told The News. “I don’t think he’s appreciated enough for what he does as far as at the line, putting them in positions to be successful. He’s one of the premier players. Because you can plug people in (around him) and he still has so much success.”

Decker has been the most outspoken about the possibility of a new division champion with Brady out for a quarter of the season. It makes sense given Garoppolo’s inexperience, but seeing is believing. Belichick’s team will face a road test in prime time against the Cardinals in the season opener before three home games against non-playoff teams from a year ago, including division foes Miami and Buffalo.

Brady will be in full-fledged F.U. mode by the time he faces the Jets for the first time in Week 12. But what if the Patriots start off winless or 1-3 with Garoppolo? Will Brady’s greatness be enough to overcome such a sluggish start given that his team has the second-toughest strength of schedule in the AFC (behind the Jets and just ahead of the Bills and Dolphins)?

“I feel like, in this division, you got to win 10-plus games, maybe 11-plus games,” Decker said. “That means you almost have to go perfect the rest of the year (after a 1-3 start). You can be in a situation where you play a hard Sunday game and, all of a sudden, you got a (quick turnaround) on a Thursday night…. You can factor those things in and make a case that it’s more difficult to go on a run after starting 1-3.” he margin for error is indeed small, but betting against Brady has made many of us look foolish. Belichick’s preparation and attention to detail might be enough to help the Patriots split the first four games.

Just when they appear vulnerable, they prove otherwise.

“They’ve had a coach and a quarterback and a system in place for a long time,” Bowles said. “There’s a bunch of ways to skin a cat. They’ve found pretty good ways to skin it. They do what they have to.”

Sooner or later, the Patriot reign will end.

But don’t hold your breath.

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