Darrelle Revis thinks the Patriots’ Deion Branch just needs to move on.
That was the message the Jets’ All-Pro corner had Monday for Branch, who called some of the Jets “classless” for their postgame celebration after Sunday’s 28-21 upset win over the Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Revis also said the Patriots showed up the Jets with their on-field celebrations during New England’s 45-3 win on Dec. 6.
“Just take the loss like a man, just take it like a man. And move on,” Revis said on Monday afternoon. “[The Patriots] do stuff as well. I don’t know who was doing it or whatever, but if so, whatever.
“If they would have won, I’m sure they would have probably did … the taunting, like they do. Last game we played them, their secondary was doing the ‘airplane’ [a Jets celebration] and just teasing us. So you’ve got to take it both ways when you win or lose. When you play, just try to prove people wrong and win the game, that’s all I can say.”
Added guard Brandon Moore: “I recall them doing the ‘Flight Crew’ all over the field and six shooters at our sideline [in the 45-3 game], them stomping on San Diego’s field with the ‘Lights Out’ dance [in the Pats’ 2006 playoff win over the Chargers]. Whatever.”
To defensive lineman Sione Pouha, the Jets’ celebration was warranted, given the circumstances of the game and the enormity of the moment.
“You won a playoff game against your division rival on the third game after they whooped your ass,” he said on Monday. “How else are you supposed to feel? I’d be jumping too.”
The issue came to light when Branch was asked if he was embarrassed after the loss on Sunday night.
“I’m just frustrated. The embarrassing part came from a few classless guys [on the Jets] after the game,” he said. “There were a lot of classless things that went on after the game ended.”
Branch said that Jets players taunted the home crowd after the game, with some even giving fans the finger, according to the Boston Herald. Braylon Edwards also marked the occasion with a midfield back-flip.
“Didn’t you see it? You’ve got to go back and watch it,” he said. “Pretty classless stuff.”
Some of New England’s players left the field when time ran out rather than shake hands with the Jets players. When asked if he was one of them Branch said, “I’m a champion. I’m always going to congratulate guys. They beat us today. The ones with class, I shook their hands. And the ones that didn’t, I didn’t [shake their hands]. You can tell they’re not used to being in this position.”
Branch’s criticism capped off a week-long war of words between the two division rivals.
It started last Monday when Jets head coach Rex Ryan called the Jets-Pats playoff game a “personal” battle with Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The Jets coach also took a shot at Tom Brady for attending a Broadway play instead of watching the Jets’ wild card win over the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 8 in its entirety.
The verbal back-and-forth continued when Antonio Cromartie called Brady an “ass—-” in comments to the New York Daily News last Tuesday. Wes Welker fanned the flames last Thursday when he cryptically used the words “foot, feet, toe and toes” a combined 10 times during a brief news conference — an apparent reference to the foot fetish videos and pictures of a woman who resembled Ryan’s wife that surfaced on the Internet last month.
A day later, Bart Scott reportedly suggested that he would inflict bodily harm on Welker, who was benched by Belichick for the opening series of the game on Sunday.
Heading into this weekend’s playoff games, the league had warned teams to cut back on the trash talk.
But, according to some Jets, the league’s warning didn’t stop Branch from addressing players on the Jets sideline during the game.
“He caught an 8-yard hitch route and started jawing at our bench talking trash,” corner backDrew Coleman said.
Coleman also brushed off Branch’s criticism.
“They’re at home watching. We advanced. That’s the end of the story for them,” Coleman said. “They can say what they wanna say. Doesn’t matter to us.”
Linebacker Bryan Thomas admitted that the Jets’ postgame antics may have been “uncharacteristic” but he didn’t have a problem with it.
“You know what, you’re going to be excited after the game, emotions are running high,” Thomas said. “Maybe he’d seen something that was a little uncharacteristic, I don’t know. But who cares now? Our focus is Pittsburgh.”
Ian Begley is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com. ESPNNewYork.com’s Mike Mazzeo and Rich Cimini contributed to this story.
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