'Circus' characterization still upsets Rex Ryan

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Rex Ryan doesn't care what you think. And he made sure his players don't, either.

In the days leading up to Sunday's season opener against the Bills, Ryan stressed one important message: The outside world doesn't matter.

Two days after a New York tabloid depicted the Jets coach driving a clown car with quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow in the backseat, Ryan publicly dismissed the "circus" perception. But he made sure last week that negativity hadn't seeped into his locker room.

The prognosticators and the pundits mean nothing, he told his players. The only thing that holds any weight, he said, is how they feel about each other.

"It seems like that's how people look at us," Ryan said Monday, revisiting the topic of his team's sideshow reputation. "You could think that all you want, but we see something totally different. I do, and I know this football team does. When I said that our opponents will take us seriously, I promise you that. And they will."

The visibly perturbed coach later confirmed during his weekly spot on ESPN New York radio that he was bothered by what he believes is an inaccurate portrayal of his team.

"I was a little bit [upset] because I think our team deserves a lot better than that kind of comment," Ryan said. "I don't think that's really fair. Judge us for who we are right now. We think we're a good football team and in the season we get to prove it."

Matt Slauson said Ryan's words weren't necessary because the Jets have learned to ignore the outside world. But the left guard said he appreciated his coach's willingness to go to bat for his guys.

"He always wants to defend us and to defend this organization," Slauson said. "We're trying to do things right here, so I feel like he's trying to defend us. If that's what he wants, that's fine. I've got his back. But otherwise, I don't care [about that talk]."

The take-away from the 48-28 blowout of the Bills had nothing to do with proving a point to the naysayers, said Aaron Maybin.

"The big thing that Rex was hammering away last week was he didn't want us to be in the mode of proving all the outsiders wrong -- the media and the fans and all that," the linebacker said.

"It has to be about the people in this locker room. The offense and the defense have to be able to have faith in each other . . . And I think that was exactly what you saw [Sunday]."

Calvin Pace, however, said otherwise.

The linebacker said after the game that he and some of his teammates took the comments made on air and in print personally. "And we used it as motivation," he added.

Pace admitted Sunday night that he took the greatest exception to pundits who ignored the Jets in their preseason playoff and Super Bowl predictions. But he laughed off the perceived slight, saying: "Hopefully, they'll ride with us next week."