For nearly two decades, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady made the New England Patriots the team to beat in the AFC East. Between 2001 and 2019, New England won the division 17 times, with the New York Jets among the few teams to interrupt its dominance.

Their rivalry was intense enough that a former Jets head coach confessed to wanting to punch the legendary HC.

Rex Ryan Reveals He Was Ready to Punch Bill Belichick Before Jets-Patriots Playoff Game

New England’s 2007 team ranks first all-time in PFN’s Offense Impact Score with a grade of 99.5 and also ranks third and fourth, respectively, from the 2010 and 2012 campaigns.

The Patriots’ dynasty included six Super Bowl victories and years of dominance over their AFC East rivals. The rivalry became particularly personal when Rex Ryan took charge of the Jets.

Under Ryan, they even made the playoffs on two separate occasions, which still stands as the last time the team was in the postseason. As a result, over eight years (2 seasons with the Buffalo Bills), Ryan developed a rivalry with Belichick and the Patriots.

Ahead of a playoff showdown with Belichick’s Patriots, Ryan was so determined to change the narrative surrounding his team that he made the matchup about himself and the legendary head coach.

During an appearance on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, Ryan narrated a particularly intense moment before their Divisional Round matchup in 2010, where he almost resorted to violence against Belichick.

“We’re going in, and we make the playoffs, and this is my second year with the Jets,” Ryan began the story. “All the reporters are going to talk about us getting out [expletive] kicked 45-3, right? So I’m like, ‘I got to change the narrative.’ Because I don’t want that hanging on my team.”

The 45-3 was the result when the Patriots took on the Jets in Week 13 earlier that season. As a result, their Divisional Round matchup felt incredibly one-sided. But Ryan needed to change that narrative, so he manufactured a different rivalry.

“So I’m like, ‘This has nothing to do with the players. This is me against Bill Belichick. That’s what this game comes down to, all right? And I know they say he’s the best of all-time, but he better be because I’m going to be at my best and it’s going to be pretty damn good.’ I put it on me.”

Ryan believed taking that pressure off his players would give them the confidence to compete with the defending division powerhouses.

“My team’s like, ‘Hell, Rex believes in us. He’s crazy enough that we’re going to win this damn thing.’ We came out and kicked their [expletive],” he recalled.

The strategy worked. New York upset New England in Foxborough, advancing to its second consecutive AFC Championship Game, where it eventually lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ryan also revealed that Jets owner Woody Johnson was uncomfortable with how he had framed the matchup, believing the head coach had gone too far in his comments. However, Ryan was not interested in backing down.

He explained that he was prepared to change his tune after the game and give his players the credit for the victory. But when asked how far he was willing to go to get his team fired up, Ryan offered an even more memorable answer.

“I go, ‘If you guys want me to, I’ll set it right then, I’ll punch him right in the face,’” Ryan recalled. “And then it was like, ‘Rex! Don’t do that!’ … But I was there to fight.”

The Jets backed up their head coach’s words on the field, handing Belichick and the Patriots one of the most memorable postseason defeats of their dynasty.

Unfortunately for Ryan, that playoff run would also prove to be the high point of his tenure in New York. The Jets failed to return to the postseason over the next four seasons, and Ryan was eventually fired after the 2014 campaign.