FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Rex Ryan is known for his fiery speeches, and it's a safe bet that he'll deliver a doozy Wednesday night as the Jets prepare to face the Patriots in Foxborough.
On Tuesday night, former Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson recalled a vintage Ryan speech. Tomlinson, an NFL Network studio analyst, was asked to name the "craziest" thing Ryan ever said to the team.
"We were playing the Patriots one time," said Tomlinson, who played for the Jets in 2010 and 2011. "As I mentioned, Rex is a master motivator, and it was going to be a big game, a heated rivalry game. Rex got in front us and he said, ‘I’m going to set the tempo today, I’m going to set the tempo when I meet Bill Belichick in the center of the field. I’m going to start it off and punch him in the face’ We loved that, I loved that from Rex.”
Obviously, Ryan was kidding.
"He was motivating his guys and he wanted to jump it off," Tomlinson said. "We won [the game].
Hey, if you don't want to kiss a man's rings ...
News of the day: The Jets have to make a decision on wide receiver/punt returner Jeremy Kerley (concussion), who's not expected to make the trip to New England. On Tuesday, they re-signed wide receiver Ben Obomanu, giving them six receivers. Kyle Wilson likely would replace Kerley as the punt returner. ... With Kerley down, it could mean more work for Santonio Holmes, who admitted he was "frustrated" by his playing time in the opener. Holmes, who last week said he wasn't sure if he'd play, claimed he didn't feel he should've been limited by his surgically repaired foot. It's not like he barely played; he had 45 snaps. ... Tom Brady has a diminished supporting case, but are the Jets taking the Patriots lightly? Is Woody Johnson's favorite color blue?