Bill Belichick and Rex Ryan exchange words through the media
The first ever trading of barbs between Jets coach Rex Ryan and Patriots coach Bill Belchick?
Perhaps the day has finally come. After years of it just being Rex doing all the talking, we now have somewhat of an exchange.
Yesterday, the topic of the penalty on the Patriots for pushing a teammate into the pile during a field goal attempt was still a hot button issue. After all, that penalty moved the Jets into easy field goal range in overtime to win the game.
Belichick was asked yesterday if he thought the Jets told the league to look out for that play by the Pats. Either in a case of Bill still not being over the call, or him simply still not understanding the rule, he replied that he saw the Jets employing the same play.
NFL.com:
"Well, I mean, since they were using the play themselves," Belichick said in a conference call Tuesday when asked about the Jets telling refs to watch the push play, per Newsday. "I don't even know about all that. But basically we're just moving on here.''
Belichick is referring to how the Jets defended the Patriots field goal in the fourth quarter heading into overtime. As we point out in the link, the plays aren't exactly the same. The Patriots play is much more deliberate, with Chris Jones pushing Will Svitek like a battering ram into the offensive line. The Jets play seems more incidental.
Word got back to Rex Ryan about what Belichick thought, and of course he didn't turn down the opportunity to deny and respond.
RT @MMehtaNYDN: Rex on Belichick's claim that Jets used push technique: "That's not true." #nyj
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) October 23, 2013
shots fired RT @KMart_LI Rex: Belichick's "got to make up his mind" on push play. "Was he aware of it? Was it 2nd-level? Now we did it...OK"
— shalise manza young (@shalisemyoung) October 23, 2013
Belichick will undoubtedly get word of this and it will irk him to no end. Of course, we'll never hear a word about it from him. The Patriots coach is famous for being curt with the media, largely to protect himself from what's happening now. Now he's caught up in a war of words, just another storyline to take into next year or, dare I say, the playoffs?
