Rex likes Steelers' Tomlin, so no trash talk

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Rex Ryan got on his bullhorn and challenged two of the NFL's heavy hitters the past two weeks, making things personal with Peyton Manning and Bill Belichick.

So it's only fitting he continues that trend as the sixth-seeded Jets prepare to meet the second-seeded Steelers in Sunday's AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field, right?

"Give me someone you want me to call out," Ryan cracked Monday. "I guess Hines Ward and Casey Hampton. Those would be the two early targets."

Ryan was joking and made it clear he's going to veer away from any personal vendettas or trash talk this week. That's all because of his high regard for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, whose team got the best of the Ravens in the AFC title game two years ago.

"I've got a great deal of respect for Mike Tomlin," Ryan said. "He's one of my favorite coaches."

That's when Ryan told a story about something that transpired Nov. 5, 2007, a night Pittsburgh mashed the Ravens, 38-7, on national television when Ryan was Baltimore's defensive coordinator.

"We couldn't stop a nosebleed," Ryan said. "We were getting crushed, like 30-something to nothing. I think we had my son [Seth] out there playing corner. Really, it was ridiculous, and they were up like 30-something to nothing at halftime.

"They ran the ball every snap in the second half. And the one thing is, we could stop the run. They got like a yard a carry. It was just like batting practice.

"But he wasn't trying to rub our nose in it. He just said, 'All right, we're going to run the ball every snap.' I think he had respect for us. He knew that wasn't where we were going to be the next time they played us."

Ryan elaborated on why he has such a high regard for the Steelers' fourth-year coach. "You look at our backgrounds, we're similar," he said. "We're defensive guys. We both have incredible opportunities. We know that. I just want to win a Super Bowl like he has."

Tomlin's Steelers are the next step in the unenviable gantlet the Jets must get through to win the AFC championship and vault into Super Bowl XLV, something they've dubbed "Mission: Impossible III."

They've taken down a pair of Goliaths in Manning and Tom Brady, navigating twice through hostile territory and exorcising some demons.

Ben Roethlisberger, they hope, is next on their hit list.

"Going into this playoff run, people said it couldn't be done," guard Brandon Moore said. "Manning, Brady, Roethlisberger - Super Bowls between all those guys - and we've knocked two off. We've got our hands full with Roethlisberger. But yeah, it's another mission impossible."

Center Nick Mangold agreed. "It's a heck of a road, but as a competitor, as a player, you wouldn't want it any other way," he said. "If you think that you're the best and you want to be the best, you've got to go against the best. Peyton is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, has been. Then you look at the Patriots, the way they were going. Those were great teams we had to beat to get here and now we are coming up on the Steelers. That's another great team that we have to go against."

Trevor Pryce can't think of a postseason road - by any team in recent memory - that compares to what the Jets have endured on their potential journey to Arlington, Texas, site of next month's Super Bowl.

"It's a lot to ask of us," the 14th-year defensive lineman said. "We want it, they want it. But it's a lot to ask to go through three storied franchises that have Super Bowls, three franchises that have the top quarterbacks in the NFL. The top three quarterbacks in the AFC are those guys. Period. Point blank.

"That's why I want to focus on the accomplishment that we've had to make it to the AFC Championship after all the things we've been through, and I want to put kudos on this organization for hiring that guy [Ryan]. Two years in a row, two AFC Championship [appearances]. Win, lose or draw, that's commendable to me."

But Ryan isn't ready to hear that.

"For myself, I've been there three years in a row, and I don't know if I can handle not winning it," he said. "So I need to win this game."