Jets are skeptical of compliments by Patriots

The forecast for Monday night’s AFC showdown between the New York Jets and New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium calls for a 30% chance of precipitation, and it certainly will be cold enough for flurries.

Regardless, Jets Coach Rex Ryan believes he and his team already have been buried beneath a full-fledged snow job.

Ryan thinks the Patriots weren’t overflowing with sincerity last week when they repeatedly referred to the Jets as a “great team.” It sounded respectful enough, but the way Ryan sees it, New England Coach Bill Belichick and his players were taking a tongue-in-cheek swipe at the Jets, who share an NFL-best 9-2 record with them.

“I know they say we are a great team, and I see the sarcasm,” Ryan said. “Well, they are going to find out if we are a great team or not, I can tell you that much.”

Ryan, whose Jets posted a 28-14 victory over the Patriots in Week 2, said he sensed sarcasm because of the unwavering message coming from the Patriots locker room, a message devoid of spontaneity.

“That, ‘Well, we’ll just say this and this,’ ” he said. “We’re coming. We’ll show up and see what happens.”

What Ryan is selling to his players as a sign of disrespect is more likely a coach looking for any sort of motivational upper hand with the inside track on AFC home-field advantage at stake.

Something’s got to give. The Patriots have won 25 consecutive regular-season home games with quarterback Tom Brady starting. The Jets are 5-0 on the road this season and overall have won eight in a row away from home.

Brady is tied with Brett Favre for the NFL record for consecutive home victories; Favre won his with Green Bay from 1995 to 1998. The last time the Patriots lost a regular-season game at Gillette Stadium with Brady starting was Nov. 12, 2006 — against the Jets.

The Jets suffered a big setback Friday when they lost safety Jim Leonhard to a broken leg in practice. He underwent surgery that night and is done for the season. Not only was Leonhard a traffic cop in the secondary and the team’s second-leading tackler, but was also the NFL’s sixth-ranked punt returner. He will be difficult to replace.

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