FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Add yet another chapter to the long-running saga that is the New York Jets-New England Patriots rivalry. But, heres a new twist: Rex Ryan actually defended Bill Belichick. Wait. Say what? Well, it started Thursday when a profile on Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine published on Sports Illustrateds theMMQB.com site included a revelation from the former Jets defensive co-ordinator that suggested New England might have obtained a copy of New Yorks playbook a few years ago. Pettine said Ryan, his longtime buddy, once gave Alabama coach Nick Saban a playbook -- and Pettine warned that Belichick and Saban are close friends. At the wedding of then-Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker a few years ago, Tom Brady bragged to former Jets assistant Mike Smith that New England might have gotten its hands on one of its rivals playbooks. "It didnt shock me," Pettine told the site, "because Rex would give them out like candy anyway." After the Jets completed their final minicamp practice, Ryan became agitated at times when asked about the story. The Jets coach refuted the suggestion that Saban -- who is also friends with Ryan -- might have given Belichick and the Patriots a sneak peek. "One thing I know for a fact, No. 1, I think its disrespectful to New England to say, Oh, they did this," Ryan said. "I can tell you every single game weve ever had with New England has been decided on the field. Nobodys had a competitive advantage. Nobodys had anything else. And thats a fact." The Patriots have won seven of the 11 games against the Jets since Ryan became New Yorks coach in 2009. Ryan said in the Jets losses, Belichicks bunch simply "outperformed us." So, this is, of course, not quite a scandal such as Spygate. Then, came the bombshell moment. "To discredit somebody like Belichick, who is a real coach, studies his butt off," Ryan said, "is ridiculous." Ryan explained that every team frequently changes its playbooks, tailoring plans to specific opponents. Theyre also coded in ways that would be difficult for opponents to completely decipher. "To me, I think its ridiculous," Ryan said. "But I think it sounds like everybody needs to talk to Pettine, because apparently hes got all the information." Alabama associate athletic director Jeff Purinton confirmed that Saban has a copy of the playbook Ryan gave to him -- and it has remained in his office at the school. Belichick opted to not comment after the Patriots practice. "Talk to Mike Pettine," Belichick said. "I dont know." In the interview, Pettine used the anecdote to explain why he doesnt have thick playbooks -- just in case they end up in the wrong hands. Ryan acknowledged he wasnt sure if Pettine was just displaying his dry sense of humour, but was clearly irked by the whole situation. "I dont understand what hes trying to gain by it," Ryan said. "Thats up to Mike and hes certainly free to do whatever he chooses." Pettine and Ryan have been friends for years, dating to their days together in Baltimore. Pettine was Ryans defensive co-ordinator in New York before he left to take the same position in Buffalo in 2012. Cleveland hired Pettine as its head coach this off-season. Ryan was asked if a first-year head coach such as Pettine might consider staying out of the spotlight. "Yeah, he needs to learn to be quiet," said a smiling Ryan, whose mouth certainly has gotten him in trouble over the years. "Absolutely." The Jets coach then continued to lighten the mood, saying the story was being "a bit overblown" and analyzed his relationship with Pettine. "Its in a bad spot right now," a laughing Ryan said. "Like, really dude? Seriously?" Ryan later praised Pettine for his work by his side for so many years and acknowledged that he was proud of him for becoming a head coach in the NFL. So, will Ryan reach out to Pettine to smooth things over? "I dont need to," Ryan said with a grin. "Im going on vacation." Hmmm. Picture it: Ryan and Belichick having fun in the sun on Cape Cod. Now that would be some plot twist. NOTES: The Jets signed a pair of "camp legs" -- K Andrew Furney and P Jacob Schum -- and released TE Terrence Miller, putting their roster at 90 players. ... LB David Harris sat out with a hamstring issue that isnt serious. Ryan joked that Harris absence was a result of "the playbook issue." ... Ryan said hes "pretty optimistic" that RB Chris Johnson will be ready to participate in training camp next month. Johnson is coming off off-season knee surgery. Ryan suggested the Jets could use "pitch counts" for Johnson to limit his practice days. Replica Soccer Jerseys . Duhamel, from Lively, Ont., and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont., were third with 210.84 points. Teammates Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto were fourth. Duhamel and Radford, who were seventh at the Sochi Olympics, also won bronze at last years world championships in London, Ont. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . Starters, when they struggle, have to live with it for five days. For Sergio Santos and Steve Delabar, two of the three men who authored one of the ugliest pitched innings in Blue Jays franchise history on Thursday night, the bounce-back chance came right away. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/. Luis Enrique signed the deal with club president Josep Bartomeu two days after it was announced by the club. That was two days after coach Gerardo Martino stepped down when Barcelona finished its first season without a major trophy in six years. Fake Soccer Jerseys ... maybe even more than that. Maybe all season I have to take a few blows. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts.SUNRISE, Fla. -- Henrik Lundqvist was happy to get the chance to make amends for his previous performance. The 2012 Vezina Trophy winner rebounded from a poor game with 31 saves and Rick Nash scored his second goal of the season to lift the New York Rangers over the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Wednesday night. Lundqvist was back in net after getting pulled from a 5-0 loss at Tampa Bay on Monday, when he gave up four goals in two periods. "I just tried to play my game tonight. It was important for me and the team to bounce back with a solid performance," Lundqvist said. "Im happy with the way I played." It didnt seem anyones confidence in Lundqvist was shaken. "Thats what I expected from him," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "Hes a world-class goaltender, strong mentally. I didnt think the game in Tampa was a 5-0 game and tonight obviously we could have played stronger in some situations, but when we did have a breakdown we had a goaltender that made some saves." Mats Zuccarello, Brad Richards and Derick Brassard also scored for the Rangers. Carl Hagelin added an empty-net goal with 24 seconds left. Nick Bjugstad and Scottie Upshall scored in the third period for Florida. Tim Thomas allowed four goals on 21 shots. After the Panthers scored twice to cut their deficit to one, Zuccarellos power-play goal made it 4-2 with 1:28 left. The Rangers improved to 3-1 on their five-game road trip. The five goals tied their season high. With a 3-0 lead, it seemed Lundqvist was cruising toward a shutout. But two Panthers goals late in the third made it close. Florida cut it to 3-1 on Upshalls backhander in front with 7:32 left. Upshall has eight points in his past eight games. Bjugstad brouught the puck through the neutral zone and put it in from the left side at 16:17 to close to 3-2.dddddddddddd "We did a good job of coming back," Upshall said. "It was a big effort." The Panthers couldnt score again, and the Rangers scored twice in the final 1:28 to put the game away. "I wouldnt say it was one of our best games, but at the end of the day we found a way to win," Vigneault said. "And finding ways to win is the goaltender making some key saves at the right moment; we got that." Florida is 0-2 against the Rangers this season. "We werent good in certain areas," coach Peter Horachek said. "We turned pucks over when we shouldnt. We didnt manage when we should." Nashs third-period goal put New York ahead 3-0. Nash, who missed 17 games with a concussion this season, got control of the puck in the neutral zone and his wrist shot from the slot beat Thomas on the stick side at 5:32. "It was a weird game. The main thing is we got the job done on the road," Nash said. The Rangers took a 1-0 lead on Brassards power-play goal in the first. Brassard took a pass from Zuccarello in the slot and tipped it past Thomas glove at 12:13. Brassards goal was his fifth of the season and second in 10 games. The Rangers were 0 for 9 on the power play in their previous two games. New York stretched its lead to 2-0 on Richards goal late in the second period. Richards shot from the right circle went through the legs of two Panthers defenders and Thomas at 18:53. Richards has a team-high seven goals. NOTES: Rangers forward Taylor Pyatt returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a concussion. ... Panthers C Jesse Winchester missed his third game with a lower-body injury. ' ' '