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Delivering the first Patriot shutout in Gillette Stadium wasn’t enough for Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan. The long time rival of New England and Bill Belichick made sure to shake the hornets’ nest on his way out.
The boisterous coach opened his postgame press conference with a Belichick impression, telling reporters “on to LA, I guess.” It was a reference to both the Bills’ Week 5 matchup with the Rams and Belichick’s steely and often uncooperative demeanor with the press.
A few minutes later, he pressed even deeper.
Rex Ryan:"My sources inside the New England Patriot building said that Jacoby Brissett would be the QB. How’s that? I’ll stir some stuff up"
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) October 2, 2016
Both Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo were dealing with injuries in the run up to the Week 4 matchup between AFC East rivals. The Patriots had been traditionally secretive about their injured list, leaving Ryan and his defense to prep for both New England backup QBs. The team didn’t announce a starter until early on Sunday morning.
Ryan’s jab also pokes at the accusations that Belichick’s teams have been less than ethical over the years. Multiple teams have suggested the Patriots bugged the visitors’ locker rooms to help gain an advantage over opponents at Gillette Stadium. Peyton Manning used to take extra steps to shield his playbook in New England. Ryan’s former team, the New York Jets, had their locker room swept by NFL officials in their last trip to Foxborough.
Now it seems like Ryan has some inside sources of his own to use against his division rival — assuming he’s not just trolling his nemesis.