“That’s part of his preparation,” Lowery said. “There’s a little bit of gamesmanship in how he does it.”

Asked to elaborate on what he viewed as gamesmanship, Lowery continued: “It’s really about what you do. I don’t think he talks to talk. He speaks from his heart. Sometimes, there’s a misconception about that. People think that he’s being cocky, or just talking to talk. He says it because he believes it. Or he wants to.”

Of course, whenever Ryan tweaks New England quarterback Tom Brady with his comments, or has fun in a news conference at Belichick’s expense, pundits suggest that he is simultaneously providing additional motivation for the Patriots. Most Jets dismissed this theory Tuesday. A trip to the A.F.C. title game, a chance to end the season of a bitter rival — that should be all the motivation either team requires, they said.

– Greg Bishop, N.Y. Times.

Good writeup by Bishop covering the Jets’ reactions to and opinions of Rex Ryan’s press-conference bravado.

The big question — and one Bishop and some Jets get at in the piece — is if it makes any difference at all what anyone says during the week? Is there any chance the Patriots or Jets actually derive additional motivation from anything Rex Ryan says in a press conference?

I can’t say for certain, obviously. But I’d lean toward no. As D’Brickashaw Ferguson suggests in the article’s concluding quote, it’s not like anyone involved needs extra motivation to win a playoff game.

It’s impossible to prove one way or the other, of course. I’m certain there are examples in which teams seem to have responded — positively or negatively — to public comments from coaches, players, owners, whoever. But we’ll never know if they actually did, or the game just happened to play out to make it appear that they did.

I suppose one argument — one that I recall coming up a lot in relation to Bobby Valentine — is that Ryan could be taking pressure off his team by putting the focus on himself. But again, there’s no way to know if media pressure on a team has any real effect on that team.

Cromartie, in his first year with the Jets after four years with the Chargers, backed up Ryan Tuesday when he was asked by the Daily News if he’s ever seen Brady pointing after the Patriots score.

“We see that a lot. He does it a lot,” Cromartie said. “That’s the kind of guy he is. We really don’t give a damn, to tell you the truth.”

Okay, what kind of guy is Brady?

“An ass—-.

“—- him.”

– Gary Myers, N.Y. Daily News.

Amen, brother.

Antonio Cromartie just catapulted himself from “That guy with all the children that’s not as good as Revis” to “total hero.” I wish more athletes said stuff like this, because it sounds almost exactly like I do when I talk about Tom Brady with my friends and family. I suppose after enough profanity-laced tirades you’d wind up in the crosshairs for a whole assload of media sanctimony, but sanctimonious media types are ass—-s too. —- ’em.

Later in the same press conference, Cromartie said, “If you’re an ass—-, you’re an ass—-,” which just became the frontrunner to be my epitaph.