FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady hates the New York Jets. Rex Ryan doesn’t like the New England Patriots.

The verbal sparring has started again and there’s still nearly three weeks to go before the fierce rivals begin their seasons.

During his contractually mandated weekly appearance on WEEI radio on Monday, Brady was asked about “Hard Knocks,” the HBO show giving an inside look at the Jets training camp.

“Honestly, I haven’t turned it on,” he said in a casual manner. “I hate the Jets, so I refuse to support that show.”

The question and answer lasted just 42 seconds and came two-thirds of the way through a 19½-minute interview. But it didn’t take long for the Jets to hear about the words from Brady, who usually is more guarded in his comments.

Ryan, whose tongue is a lot looser, liked Brady’s remark.

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“It’s great. Hey, join the club,” Ryan said with a laugh.

The back-and-forth may be calculated to stir emotions. It may be the true feelings of the star quarterback and the brash coach. Or it might be just good-natured, off-the-cuff banter. But their words enlivened the often boring preseason routines.

Ryan isn’t a big fan of Brady or the team that has dominated the AFC East, a status that seems threatened by the Jets’ addition of key veterans in the offseason.

“Hell, he knows we hate the Patriots, so what’s the difference?” the coach said with a smile. “My brother’s got a couple of Super Bowl rings. He loves Tom Brady, but I don’t have them, so I don’t like Tom Brady. I respect him, but I don’t like him.”

His brother Rob is a former Patriots assistant. Rex took over the Jets last season from Eric Mangini, the former defensive coordinator for New England and a near clone of Bill Belichick when it comes to bland, non-provocative comments.

The third show of the five-episode “Hard Knocks” series airs Wednesday. Last year’s featured team was the Bengals.

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“I’m sure it’s great TV,” Brady said. “I’m glad people are liking it, but that’s just something that I have no interest in watching. I’d love to say a lot of mean things, but I’d rather not do that, either.”

What he did say didn’t surprise Jets receiver Jerricho Cotchery.

“Tom has always hated the Jets,” Cotchery said. “We’ve pulled up clips a long time ago, even before Rex got here, with Tom saying things at banquets and all that. He’s always hated the Jets, so I expected to hear that from him.”

The Patriots open their season Sept. 12 at home against Cincinnati and a pair of loudmouth receivers — Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.

Their second opponent? The Jets in New York.

 

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THE PATRIOTS acquired guard Quinn Ojinnaka from the Atlanta Falcons for an undisclosed draft pick.

Ojinnaka is suspended without pay for the season opener for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

He was arrested in May 2009 and charged with battery after his wife confronted him over his contact with a female friend on Facebook. He was accused of tossing his wife down stairs and throwing her out of the house.

Ojinnaka started five games at right guard in 2009. The Falcons bolstered their offensive line in the offseason by drafting guard Mike Johnson and center Joe Hawley.

The Patriots made another move Monday by releasing defensive back Terrence Johnson, who signed April 29 as an undrafted rookie free agent from California (Pa.).

 


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