Winless Bills prepared for anything vs. the Jets, the self-proclaimed AFC East bullies

Bills brace themselves for swaggering Jets

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Brace yourselves, Buffalo, coach Rex Ryan and the New York Jets — the self-proclaimed AFC East neighborhood bullies — are on their way.

Brash and confident as ever, Ryan had no difficulty accepting the role of division — and maybe all-league — villain as his team prepared to swagger into town for a game against the Bills on Sunday. Love them, hate them just so long as you respect the Jets, Ryan’s more than comfortable with the image he’s fostered in two seasons at the job. Heck, he put it out there on display for all to see on national cable TV this summer.

“I think if you’re a good football team, you’re going to be hated by a lot of people,” Ryan said. “That’s fine. It’s like when the bully comes into town. Everybody wants to see him get beat. But I’d much rather have it that way than the other way, where people don’t respect you.”

And there’s the rub in what, on paper at least, is being regarded as a lopsided matchup between a deep and talented Jets team (2-1) in all its Super Bowl-or-bust bluster, and a Bills opponent that’s done nothing so far to dispel its perennial image as a division weakling.

Just don’t ask Ryan to start kicking sand in anyone’s face.

“See, I don’t look at them as a team in disarray,” Ryan said, disputing the notion that the Bills (0-3) are already falling apart a week in which they cut starting quarterback Trent Edwards.

As much as Ryan credited the Bills for how well they played in a 38-30 loss to New England last weekend, he followed it up with one promise: “If they’re going to beat us, they’re going to have to earn it.”

So what does it take to beat a bully?

“Well, you throw the first punch,” said Bills defensive end Dwan Edwards.

The trouble for the Bills is they’ve been relatively punchless in getting off to an 0-3 start for the fourth time since 2001, which puts them well on their way to missing the playoffs for an 11th consecutive season.

Given how swiftly first-year coach Chan Gailey switched quarterbacks and then released Edwards, there’s already a perception that the Bills are taking a rebuilding-mode approach.

“Maybe,” receiver Lee Evans said. “But us, as players, we don’t look at it that way. We look at it as we’re trying to play and win games with the guys we’ve got.”

Taking over as starter, Ryan Fitzpatrick has at least injected life into an anemic offense. Fitzpatrick and the offense produced more in one game against the Patriots (30 points, 247 yards passing and 374 total yards) than the unit managed in its first two combined under Edwards (17 points, 241 yards passing, 352 total yards).

The problem was it still wasn’t enough, in part because the Bills defense allowed 200 yards rushing and failed to apply any pressure on Tom Brady.

Identity — or the lack of one — has become a theme in Buffalo.

“Teams that have an identity are teams that are winning,” safety Donte Whitner said. “So you’re pretty much searching or trying to figure out what it is and how we can get everybody to play well at the same time.”

The Jets haven’t had that problem since Ryan took over and led them to the AFC Championship game last season.

“We’re not afraid of the role of bully or villain or whatever,” linebacker Bart Scott said. “To a certain extent we all are a reflection of our leadership. … He’s a guy that has a lot of confidence and forces you to believe that you have a lot of confidence. So then you start to develop confidence in yourself.”

It’s showing through.

After opening this season with a loss to Baltimore, New York beat New England and Miami, setting up a chance to go 3-0 in its first run through its division rivals. Though their defense is banged up and playing without star cornerback Darrelle Revis (hamstring) and tackle Kris Jenkins (season-ending knee injury), second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez has picked up the slack.

Sanchez, one of three starters to not throw an interception this season, has gone a combined 36 of 58 for 476 yards and six touchdowns in his last two games.

The key is not to overlook the Bills, which is something Sanchez won’t do given he threw a career-worst five interceptions in a 16-13 overtime loss to Buffalo last October.

“I think our team confidence is pretty high, but it’s important not to take the cheese,” Sanchez said. “Sure, we’re happy with where we are, but we can’t plateau now.”

Referring to the Bills as “a scrappy team,” Sanchez added: “If you overlook somebody like that, they’ll sweep the rug right out from under you.”

And then, who’d be the bully?