The Jets’ defense is known as a fast, aggressive, blitzing group. But in truth, the perception is different than reality, especially when it comes to facing the Patriots as of late.

In the four games that Brady has faced Rex Ryan and the Jets, the number of blitzes Brady has faced (that is, where New York has sent five or more rushers) has decreased fairly steadily: According to STATS, Inc., the Jets blitzed on 22 occasions in a September 2009 game, 12 times in a November 2009 game, 13 times in a September 2010 game and 11 when the two teams met last month.

Part of the reason could lie in the fact that the stats show Brady has either figured out the Jets’ blitz scheme, or New York has failed to execute as well as it has in the past against the Patriots. As the blitz totals have fallen, Brady’s numbers have steadily increased, going from 4.9 yards per pass attempt and a 37.5 quarterback rating in his first game against the Ryan-coached Jets to a 18.1 yards per passing attempt and a 154.4 rating last month.

Of course, it’s not like Brady hasn’t had his way with opposing blitzers this season. The STATS numbers indicate that when anyone sends five rushers against Brady this season, his yards-per-pass attempt is 8.2 with a 101.3 QB rating. When teams send six or more after Brady, he has a 153.8 QB rating, gaining 330 yards on 25 pass attempts.

The Jets were able to sack Brady three times in that December game, but he still ended up going 21-for-29 for 326 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, mostly by exploiting matchups on short and intermediate routes.

Without mentioning blitz packages, Ryan said Wednesday there are a whole lot of things they’d like to do different this time around against the Patriots.

“We got beat by 42 points, so I think we have to change it a little bit,” Ryan said ruefully of the 45-3 loss. “I don’t know if we want to use that same game plan. Clearly, we’ll do different things just like they’ll do different things and hopefully we’ll have a different outcome.”

“They’re very much the same defense that they’ve been over the last few years — they do a lot of things very well,” Brady said Wednesday. “They can pressure the quarterback. It’s a big blitz team. They’ve got great man coverage corners. It’s a very disciplined group of players. It’s a veteran group of players. They’re very tough and physical.

“They’re the Jets; they always seem to have a pretty good defense.”

Different things could result in even fewer blitzes this time around. That was certainly the case last weekend against the Colts, where the numbers from STATS, Inc., also indicate that Ryan and the Jets dropped more defenders into coverage as opposed to sending them after Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning. The result? A 17-16 win, and only 225 yards passing from Manning.

Of course, the Colts were without many of their leading options in the passing game like Dallas Clark and Austin Collie. Meanwhile, the Patriots are at full strength on offense.

“They’ve clearly got a ton of weapons — they torched us last time they played us,” Ryan said. “It’s not like they just have Wes Welker or they just have [Deion] Branch or they just have one tight end. They’ve got a whole slew of weapons and Brady uses every one of them. He’s going to throw it to the open guy. That’s what you have to be concerned with.”

For his part, Brady expects to see plenty of pressure on Sunday.

“I’m sure they want to get pressure on me. I’m sure they’re not going, ‘Let’s just let him sit back there for seven seconds and throw the ball.’ Every team wants to get pressure,” Brady said. “Every quarterback, you try to get up in their face and make them make decisions before you want to make them. Like I said, they’re going to have the things that they think they need to do to stop us — whether it’s get up in our face or stop certain plays — whoever they stop, we’ll try to find someone else to throw it to.”