"I hate the Jets"

"Honestly, I haven't turned it on," Brady said when asked about Hard Knocks. "I hate the Jets, so I refuse to support that show. I'm sure it's great TV. I'm glad people are liking it. But that's just something that I have no interest in watching. I'd love to say a lot of mean things, but I'd rather not do that, either."

It is refreshing to hear hatred out of rivals. Obviously Tom Brady should hate the Jets, just as he should hate the Dolphins and Bills. And they should, and do, hate him right back, which was the Jets response yesterday.

"Hell, he knows we hate the Patriots, so what's the difference?" Rex said with a smile. "My brother's got a couple of Super Bowl rings. He loves Tom Brady, but I don't have them, so I don't like Tom Brady. I respect him, but I don't like him."

As fans, we like to see when players have the same intensity of hatred toward their rivals. Real fanatics grow to despise entire cities, just because of sport. Yankee fans grow to abhor the city of Boston, stemming from their hatred of the Red Sox. And vice versa. It adds to the allure of sports. It brings arguments, and discussion as to which city is superior. (New York, clearly).

There are rivals in every league, all over the US; Yanks vs. Sox, Duke vs. UNC, Celtics vs. Lakers. A lot of the time, especially recently, the fans care more than the players. The Lakers and Celtics' rivalry is nothing like it was back in the 1980s. Even the Yanks and Sox's rivalry has seemed to die down some in the past few years.

Seeing Tom Brady basically reignite the AFC East fire in preseason is fantastic. This division is definitely the toughest in the AFC, with the Jets, Patriots, and Dolphins all competing for the divisional title. The Jets are predicted to be Super Bowl champions. Well, predicted by Rex Ryan at least. The Pats are probably hating the Jets even more because of that. This is their division until Brady and Bill Belichick bow out. The Jets have to earn their respect, and one divisional crown with a trip to the AFC Championship will mean nothing if they can't back it up. The Dolphins added key pieces, a big one being Brandon Marshall, but are flying under the radar, since the Jets and Pats are grabbing all of the headlines.

Look for this to be the most compelling division in the AFC this season. Not just the headlines of contracts will draw the attention of fans, but now, because of Brady's hatred, the games will definitely be interesting. You can be sure many eyes will be on CBS, at 4:15, week 2. The Pats will be in NY, and only then will we see how much these teams truly loathe each other.