Rex Ryan is familiar with the New England Patriots.
Ryan coached in the AFC East for eight seasons, six with the New York Jets and two with the Buffalo Bills.
During his head coaching tenures, Ryan would do whatever it took to gain a competitive edge over the Patriots, as he explained Friday to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. One of Ryan’s primary tactics, believe it or not, was using the media.
“I used to put a lot of stuff out there knowing it would piss off Brady,” Ryan told the Daily News.
Ryan went on to reminisce on a specific instance in 2011 when he gushed over former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning in spite of Brady.
“(Manning) is tremendous,” Ryan said in 2011. “There is no one else like this guy in the league. Nobody studies like him. I know Brady thinks he does. I think there’s probably a little more help from Belichick with Brady than there is with Peyton Manning.”
Two weeks later, Ryan’s Jets went on to beat the Patriots in a divisional-round game, one of the highlights of his head-coaching career. However, Brady and the Pats definitely hold the upper hand in that matchup, as Ryan’s combined record against New England is 5-12.
Despite being divisional foes for a number of years, Ryan is not stubborn enough to renounce Brady’s career accomplishments, which would become even more illustrious with a win in Super Bowl LI.
“I could see where Brady definitely would be considered the greatest ever if he won five Super Bowls,” Ryan said. “How could you argue that?”
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports Images
