Giants not bothered by all of Rex Ryan's talk

Brandon Jacobs isn't only a running back. He's a sociologist. He was handed his diploma in the locker room Wednesday, a degree from Fairleigh Dickinson that he worked on completing during the last few offseasons.

So, as a trained observer of the human condition, what does Jacobs make of Rex Ryan's bravado?

"I think they're trying to fulfill something, put something in people that may not be there," Jacobs said. "That's what it is. Sometimes I talk, I think 'Maybe this won't happen,' but I'm going to make myself believe it.

"It doesn't really upset me," he added. "He's trying to put something in peoples' minds that might not really be there."

Before they deal with the Jets on the field Saturday, the Giants have to handle their bluster during the week. For a team that usually engages in word wars with the Cowboys and Eagles twice a year, it's nothing new. What makes this one different, though, is that the vitriol is not coming from a faraway opponent but from their own neighborhood. The Giants don't need to be told what the Jets are saying about them. The headlines and sound bites land right on their front stoop and on their televisions every day.

To no one's surprise, Tom Coughlin did not engage in the kind of "we're better" talk that Ryan has been spouting for the better part of three days (or for the better part of three years, really).

"I just say, regardless of the talk, it will be decided at 1 o'clock Saturday afternoon," Coughlin said. "Talk is cheap, play the game. That is the way I've always believed."

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And Ryan?

"There's an old saying: Talk is cheap and money buys whiskey," he said. "I understand all that and that's the truth. But I don't care about Tom Coughlin or anybody else. I know how I believe and I don't care if it's acceptable in everybody's opinion. I really don't care. I'm worried about my opinion. This is how I feel and quite honestly I could care less what anybody thinks."

Coughlin may subscribe to a more reserved approach, but he said he does not require his players to keep their thoughts zipped up. His receivers certainly took liberty talking about Darrelle Revis Wednesday (Santonio Holmes returned the favor by blasting the Giants' secondary). And when Jacobs was asked about Ryan's assertion that whichever team wins on Saturday will rule New York, he fired back.

"They're going to need a hell of a lot more than this game to make that happen," Jacobs said.

Not everyone participates in the fun. Eli Manning avoided anything that could be deemed controversial, as he often does. Guard Chris Snee said most of the chatter goes "in one ear and out the other."

Even the Jets are becoming used to the clamor.

"Nothing surprises me coming out of Rex's mouth," Jets safety Eric Smith said. "That's just how he is. This is his third year and he's always been like that. What you see from Rex is what you get. He's always going to speak his mind."

Because Coughlin brought it up, what exactly is the value of talk? He was asked if the Giants can use the talk coming from Florham Park to inspire them, perhaps raise the ante even more than it already is. He gave a one-word answer with a wry smile.

"Perhaps."

That's about as cheap as Coughlin gets.

With Roderick Boone