Browns coach Mike Pettine suggested that the Patriots had copies of the Jets’ defensive playbooks during an interview with Greg Bedard of TheMMQB.com, in part because Jets coach Rex Ryan “would give them out like candy.”
Ryan didn’t know whether or not New England had a copy of any Jets materials, saying that reporters should ask Pettine because the former Jets assistant “seems like he’s got the information.” Ryan also said he didn’t understand what Pettine is “trying to gain” from sharing a tidbit of information that Ryan doesn’t think would have mattered in his team’s games against New England if it were true.
“One thing I know for a fact, it’s disrespectful to New England to say, ‘oh, they did this...’” Ryan said, via CBS New York. “Every single game, your playbook changes. Your game plan changes every single week. Your playbook, if you study your opponent, is based on your preparation. This thing has probably been blown out of proportion a little bit. To me, this is a lot to do about nothing.”
Ryan said he didn’t feel the need to speak to Pettine about anything, although he did suggest that Pettine keep quiet about such matters in the future.
Belichick was also asked about the possibility that his team had inside information and said, via the Boston Herald, interested parties should ask Pettine because Belichick didn’t know the answer to the question. If Belichick did get his hands on a playbook, it didn’t come from Alabama coach Nick Saban. Pettine mentioned that Ryan gave Saban, a friend of Belichick’s, a Jets playbook but an Alabama spokesman said, via the New York Daily News, that he never gave a copy to Belichick and would never pass along such materials.