Ryan laments Crowder trash talk

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New York Jets coach Rex Ryan regrets the way his lighthearted smack-talk exchange with Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder turned into a national story.

Ryan, on a conference call with South Florida reporters to chat about Monday night's game between the Jets and Dolphins in Land Shark Stadium, addressed the summertime flare-up.

“

I think bulletin board material is something that if I was being disrespectful, or somebody's being disrespectful to an opponent, I think that's where it could probably motivate you, but I've never been disrespectful to anybody.

” -- Rex Ryan

"I think the thing with Channing Crowder, if I had to do one thing over, that would probably be it," Ryan said, "because clearly I was joking about the whole thing, which I had done before in the past in Baltimore with Chad Johnson [Ochocinco] and with some other guys.

"For some reason, I don't think the tone was reflected that way. That is what it is. I'll say this to you guys: I'm not going to be hard to find out there. I'll be wearing a white jersey with a 77 on it."

No. 77 is Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins, politely listed at 6-foot-4 and 360 pounds.

When Jets training camp opened at SUNY Cortland, Ryan started a diet. He claimed to weigh 340 pounds then.

"I think bulletin board material is something that if I was being disrespectful, or somebody's being disrespectful to an opponent, I think that's where it could probably motivate you," Ryan said, "but I've never been disrespectful to anybody.

"But also understand this: We think we have a heck of a football team, and we're confident. We're not afraid of anybody. We're not backing down from anybody. We came here to try to win a championship, and if people have a tough time with it, so be it."

Crowder said he had no hard feelings toward Ryan about the barbs in June.

"He's OK," Crowder said. "He's a young coach. He got caught up in the bull, and as a coach you can't do that. It wasn't that big a deal."

But the trash-talking Crowder says he'll have plenty of insults ready Monday night for the rival Jets, especially running back Leon Washington. Their testy relationship goes back to college, when Crowder played for Florida and Washington at Florida State.

"We do not like each other," Crowder said Wednesday. "With Florida State, I hated him. I hate him now. If I see him out, I'm not going to talk to him. I'm not going to slap him, but I'm not going to be pleasant.

"Every time he sees me, he starts cussing. I see him and I start cussing. It's going to be like that the whole game."

Crowder said he feels the same way about the rest of the Jets, including young quarterback Mark Sanchez.

"Sanchez is probably the only person I haven't cussed out, because he's a rookie," Crowder said. "He'll get cussed out this week.

"It's a rivalry. They don't like us. We don't like them."

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano would prefer his players not get caught up in trash-talking, either.

"The game's not won or lost based on that kind of garbage," Sparano said.

Tim Graham covers the AFC East for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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