Belichick, Ryan unleash bold words
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. Sunday’s showdown between the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots is becoming much more than a heavyweight battle on the field.
What’s being said in news conferences is quickly turning into must-watch stuff for fans, even those outside of the Northeast.
The biggest piece of evidence? An unlikely source joined in.
A Buffalo news media member asked Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Wednesday why Rex Ryan’s defenses have had success against quarterback Tom Brady.
“I think our record against him has been OK,” Belichick shot back. “I’ll take it.”
Coming from other NFL coaches, that wouldn’t be a big deal. But from Belichick? It’s about as big of a burn as you’ll get out of Foxborough, Mass.
And because Ryan has a reputation for being brash when it comes to talking about the Patriots, the buildup to the game at Ralph Wilson Stadium has been almost as compelling as what fans will see Sunday afternoon.
“It’s easy to say the Patriots have been the most dominant team in the National Football League the past 10 years, but this year is a different year,” Ryan said. “I’m going to put that caveat out there. It’s a different year, and we’ll see who is the king of the mountain at the end of this season.”
Brady’s career passer rating vs. Ryan’s defenses is 88.9. That compares to his average overall rating of 96.1 in 16 NFL seasons.
But most important, there are other numbers Belichick will gladly take. Ryan, who previously coached the New York Jets from 2009 to 2014, is 4-9 against Belichick’s Patriots, including a dismal 1-7 stretch since 2011.
“Well I dislike the fact that I haven’t been that successful against them,” Ryan said Wednesday. “No question.
“But I’ll say this: I respect them, probably as much as any team in the league. But I don’t fear ’em, I can tell you that much. We don’t fear anybody. We’re looking forward to them.”
Ryan set the tone Monday, when he intentionally inserted a playful jab at his longtime rivals.
“I can’t wait to see what our fans are going to be like when you have the hated Patriots — I mean this kind of rival — coming into our stadium,” Ryan said.
Buffalo’s players followed suit.
“I don’t like New England, so, yeah, it’s definitely personal for me,” Bills safety Aaron Williams said.
“Don’t nobody like the Patriots,” defensive tackle Marcell Dareus added. “Let’s be honest about it.”
Brady said he was not worried about what goes on off the field.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Brady said. “The games are won by what you do over the course of the week and how you go about your preparation so that you can be prepared for the game on Sunday. He’s a great coach, and he’s obviously got them confident. It sounds like they’re already ready to go on Wednesday.
“We still need some time to prepare for them.”