Glauber: Bulluck says it's a Giants town; Jets: Not so fast

When he was growing up as a Giants fan in the Rockland County town of New City, there was never a question in Keith Bulluck's mind about which NFL team dominated the area. As far as he is concerned, New York was, is and always will be a Giants town.

Even now, with the Jets cruising along with the same 6-2 record as the Giants, and with Rex Ryan's team regularly talking about making a Super Bowl run this season, there's still no comparison.

"We're New York's team, not them," said Bulluck, who starred at Clarkstown North High before going to Syracuse and then the Titans as a first-round pick in 2000 before signing with the Giants as a free agent this year, in part because of his childhood allegiance to them.

"We're in the same city, but I don't pay attention to comparisons with us,'' he said. "They're an AFC team, so I don't pay any attention to that at all."

Then again, Bulluck says, maybe there's a way to settle the debate once and for all.

"I think it would be great if the Jets and us made it to the Super Bowl, so the Giants could win it so there'd be no discrepancy about who New York's team is," he said. "Although I don't think there is one now. To me, if you're from New York, there's no discrepancy about who New York's team is."

In Bulluck's mind, there's no debate.

"When I was growing up in New York, the Giants were always New York's football team," he said. "As an adult, it seems like there's a little confusion. I've been gone 10 years [in Tennessee], but I don't think it's changed."

Hmmm. I'll venture a wild guess that Jets fans would suggest otherwise. Especially now that they're pulling for a team and a coach unafraid to aim high.

"We've come a long way as an organization," All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis said. "We want to be a winning organization, and Woody [Johnson] and Mike Tannenbaum have done a great job in bringing the right guys for the job. That starts with Rex Ryan."

And what about a Giants-Jets Super Bowl? "If it does happen, it's history and it'd be great," Revis said, "but right now, we're a long ways from both teams going."

As for Bulluck's boasts - and taunts - about the Giants being the more dominant team, Jets center Nick Mangold suggested the linebacker might not be as confident as he sounds.

"I don't care what that man's saying," Mangold said. "If you're struggling to say something like that, then maybe you think you've lost the imagination of this city. If you're concerned about it, then you have to talk about it. I don't feel as though we need to talk about it. You should have other things to worry about than running the city, or whatever he said. I've got to imagine there's something a little more important that's going on."

Jets fullback Tony Richardson was surprised by Bulluck's comments but suggested a Super Bowl might actually be the only way to resolve the issue.

"Keith's a good friend of mine and I love him to death, but that's the only way you can settle the argument is by playing in the Super Bowl," he said. "They're playing great football now. It'd be a great story line."

A once-in-a-lifetime story line, as far as Jets linebacker Bart Scott is concerned.

"It'd be the best thing for the city - ever," Scott said. "It's probably something that would never happen again, either. Almost like catching lightning."

But does Scott really care who dominates New York?

"Of course I care whether this is a Jets or Giants town," he said. "Who doesn't want to be the big dog? I think because of their history of winning more current Super Bowls that they get more respect, but I think that's changing with the arrival of Rex. Now they see it's not the same old Jets, that we're for real, that we're serious about our philosophy and we're willing to talk about it and produce it on the football field as well."

Scott to Bulluck: Bring it on.