FOXBORO -- The Patriots-Jets rivalry isn’t what it used to be.

Even Rex Ryan seems bored by it all.

The Jets coach told everyone on Wednesday in Florham Park, N.J., just how much he respects Bill Belichick. The Patriots coach wins a one-on-one battle in coaching every time, he insisted.

Truth is Rex Ryan always has had it in for Belichick ever since his dad -- Buddy Ryan -- was defensive coordinator of the Bears in the 1980s and his Chicago teams were going against Belichick, Bill Parcells and the Giants on a regular basis.

The Ryan passion was dialed up a notch when Buddy left the Bears to become head coach of the Eagles in the late '80s, when Ryan wanted to beat in the brains of the Giants, Parcells and Belichick twice a year. I was in college in Philadelphia in those years and remember just how much Buddy took on the persona of the Eagles fan base that wanted to pulverize the Giants every chance it got.

Fast-forward 20 years and it’s the same thing all over again. Eagles-Giants has been replaced with Jets-Patriots. But Rex -- apparently learning the lesson from his fiery dad -- has a killer smile that hides that intensity.

There’s no trash-talking, no animosity, no bold predictions, no chest-thumping. There’s not even a hint of swagger coming from either team.

The Jets coach is again saying that Belichick would win any head-to-head coaching battle. Vince Wilfork is calling Nick Mangold “probably the best center” in the NFL. And Tom Brady?

Well, Tom certainly remembers what anatomical reference in the rear end Antonio Cromartie made and what act he suggested to the Patriots quarterback just before their playoff Armageddon in January 2011.

This week, Cromartie kept his comments G-rated, and Brady was playing the respect card.

“It’s a great rivalry, there’s no question,” Brady told me on Wednesday when I informed him that Matthew Slater compared this to UCLA-USC. “We’ve had so many meaningful games against these guys. It’s like we do the scouting report and [Patriots coaches] go through the names on the list and you’re like, ‘I know every single one of these guys on the list. Why are we talking about David Harris and Cromartie?’

“They’ve got a few new faces in there, but this defense presents some great challenges for our offense and ones we’ve faced since Rex Ryan has been the head coach of that team. It’s a great rivalry and it’s a fun game for us players. It always has meaning behind it. It’s never been a meaningless game, so this one will be no different than that.”

No one’s arguing that it’s not an important game. There’s just not the intensity there used to be, even two seasons ago when the teams played three times in the space of four months.

Where’s the hate?

It’s buried in each team’s preoccupation with its own problems. The Patriots are trying to fix a porous secondary and the Jets are trying to convince themselves that Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow can produce a legitimate offense in the NFL.

Both teams are 3-3 and neither team really has an identity yet. The Patriots are 3-3 and feel -- rightly so -- they’re four points from being undefeated.

The Jets are 3-3 and feel fortunate to be tied for first/last place in the AFC East after losing Darrelle Revis and Santonio Holmes for the season.

“Yeah, it’s a 10-game schedule now,” Belichick offered. “There’s nothing anybody can do about any of the games that have happened, us or any of our opponents or anybody else. It’s just about going forward. We have to try to do a good job this week and we’ll worry about next week next week. Right now, we just have to do a good job getting ready for the Jets.”

Yes, Matthew Slater said on Tuesday that the Patriots don’t have many fond feelings toward the Jets, but he said it with a smile, almost out of a sense of obligation than true despise.

It used to be that there always was a little extra energy  or “juice” in the week leading up to the Jets game. This year, that juice feels watered down.

“There’s juice every week,” Rob Gronkowski said. “We prepare as hard as we can every week. It’s just the Jets coming up so we’ll be preparing mentally and physically as hard as we can.”

Truth of the matter is both teams are too concerned with their own problems to be worried about getting the other team distracted by silly hype in the media.

How silly?

On Wednesday, traditionally the busiest day for media availability in the Patriots locker room, I was nearly run over by a herd of 10 cameramen rushing to the locker of the soft-spoken Nate Solder to talk about how this is just another game. Literally, I had to scoot out of the way to see 25 adults rush to hear the Patriots left tackle talk about how the Jets are a good, physical team.

Brandon Lloyd is in his first season with the Patriots and going through “Jets Week” for the first time.

On Wednesday, Lloyd was asked if he had a sense for what to expect this week. 

“No. You want to enlighten me?” Lloyd replied.

It would be my pleasure, Brandon.

A lot of hype. A lot of annoying cameras and reporters crowding the locker room, waiting to talk to players who have been advised time and time again NOT to say anything that could be construed as inflammatory or bulletin board material.

“The best thing is to just approach it like a normal game,” Lloyd said, doing his best to help. “As a player, I think the buildup is more for the fans, the history. But these are current teams, current rosters. We’re not playing against Joe Namath or anything like that. It’s a game -- an important game -- but from my standpoint, I’m just going to prepare for it like a regular game.”

Well said, Brandon. You’ve caught on quickly.

The insanity was even worse around Deion Branch. The crowd was three deep to ask Branch what the Jets rivalry means to him now.

“It’s all about taking care of business, executing plays, we’ll be OK,” Branch said.

Thanks, Deion. That was certainly worth reaching over five people and getting way too close to individuals I’m not related to.

Look, I don’t blame the players. They’re coached specifically to not give the media anything to work with. No noise, no distractions. No comment. They’re merely following orders, and following them to the letter.

I do blame the culture of hype. The culture that insists every moment of every day be blogged somewhere.

I know it’s what we all signed up for. The week -- as it is for the players -- is the grunt work that makes the games that much more fun.

And after the game on Sunday, I won’t moan about crowds in the locker room. I promise. Who knows? Maybe the game will provide the hype that was missing all week.

Now to the Trags Bag where we forget the hype and ask: What will be the key to the game on Sunday, a game that figures to help break the 3-3 four-way deadlock in the AFC East.

@PORJIE05 No huddle offense will be huge like in the Denver game and our defensive front 7 need to pressure a lot to help out our depleted secondary.

@Monaghan21 Biggest key for #Patriots will be the performances of the secondary and O-line.

@BostAngeles Rex talking less smack because he knows his team is not as good. When they get better, he will be talking smack again.