For the record: The Jets are 5-4 (tied for second place in the AFC East). The Broncos are 4-5 (tied for second place in the AFC West).

Who’s hot: The Jets were burned by the Tom Brady- led Patriots on Sunday night, but defense still is the Jets’ strength. The Jets are in the NFL’s top 10 in total defense and pass defense. The Jets have 13 interceptions and six fumble recoveries.

Who’s not: The Jets’ running game. They’re averaging only 98.1 yards rushing, ranking 24th in the 32-team league. Running backs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson have combined for only three rushing touchdowns.

Key stat: The Broncos and Jets have allowed 23 sacks each this season. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was sacked five times Sunday by the Patriots. Denver’s defense ranks eighth in the league with 24 sacks.

FYI: This is the third meeting between the Broncos and Jets in four seasons. The Broncos won 34-17 at the Meadowlands in 2008. The Jets won 24-20 in Denver last year. The Broncos are 16-15-1 in regular- season games against the Jets.

Coachspeak: “We were wanting this game in the worst way. But you’re not going to beat New Eng- land, you’re not going to beat many teams, when you make the mistakes that we made.” — New York coach Rex Ryan, after the Jets committed three turnovers in their 37-16 loss to the Patriots

Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post

Having already beaten melanoma in 1968 and ‘80, and another form of the disease earlier this year, the 80-year-old Ryan said this was “less serious” except that “whenever you go under anesthesia, you never know what’s going to happen.” So he told doctors to postpone the operation until he returns from the Meadowlands to see Rob and the Cowboys play against Rex and the Jets. He said he’ll fly to New York on Friday and will return to his home in Kentucky on Monday.

“They said to go ahead and go,” Ryan said during a telephone interview. “I’ve got to be able to do something” while waiting for the operation.

Rob Ryan said his dad’s approach to fighting the disease is typical.

“That’s just the way he is,” he said. “This is a big thing for him, a big thing for the Ryans. He’s just about the only guy that’s beaten cancer about every time. He’s been through it about four or five times. I’m sure the prognosis is great for him because he always wins.”

He said his father’s illness will be more motivation than distraction.

“All he taught us is ‘Do the job,’” Rob said. “That’s the way he is, so it’s not that difficult. Obviously, (we’re) praying a lot for him and things have to go well because that’s what it is. But he raised us to do the job. Whatever we do, we’re going to be the best at it — and that’s what we are.”

From Jets camp, Rex added: “It’s going to be great having him here. I know this is huge for him. He’s looked forward to it for a long time.”

Buddy Ryan was as outspoken and boisterous as his boys are, a persona he could back up with his team’s success on the field.

He was defensive coordinator of two renowned Super Bowl champions, the Joe Namath-led Jets who pulled off the huge upset in 1969, and the 1985 Bears who ran his 46 defense to perfection. He is also known for throwing a punch at the offensive coordinator while he was running the Oilers’ defense. Ryan also had entertaining stints as the head coach of the Eagles and the Cardinals.

Both sons were on their dad’s staff with the Cardinals in 1994 and ‘95. They’ve since made a name for themselves, with Rex leading the Jets to the AFC championship game the last two years, and Rob winning two Super Bowls as an assistant coach for the Patriots’ Bill Belichick. This is Rob’s first season in Dallas after working as defensive coordinator of the Browns and Raiders the last four years.

The brothers have squared off before, and every time is special for the Ryan family, especially the patriarch.

“This game’s important to him,” Rob said. “He wants to see these two rams bat heads.”

____

AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, N.J., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Not even cancer surgery can keep former NFL coach Buddy Ryan from being in the stands when his twin sons coach against each other Sunday night in the prime-time opener between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said Monday his dad was diagnosed last week with a form of cancer “in his gland that’s right through his neck.” Brother Rex, the Jets coach, said through a team spokesman that it was the parotid gland, the largest of the salivary glands.

Having already beaten melanoma in 1968 and ’80, and another form of the disease earlier this year, the 80-year-old Ryan said this was “less serious” except that “whenever you go under anesthesia, you never know what’s going to happen.” So he told doctors to postpone the operation until he returns from the Meadowlands to see Rob and the Cowboys play against Rex and the Jets. He said he’ll fly to New York on Friday and will return to his home in Kentucky on Monday.

“They said to go ahead and go,” Ryan said during a telephone interview. “I’ve got to be able to do something” while waiting for the operation.

Rob Ryan said his dad’s approach to fighting the disease is typical.

“That’s just the way he is,” he said. “This is a big thing for him, a big thing for the Ryans. He’s just about the only guy that’s beaten cancer about every time. He’s been through it about four or five times. I’m sure the prognosis is great for him because he always wins.”

He said his father’s illness will be more motivation than distraction.

“All he taught us is ‘Do the job,’” Rob said. “That’s the way he is, so it’s not that difficult. Obviously, (we’re) praying a lot for him and things have to go well because that’s what it is. But he raised us to do the job. Whatever we do, we’re going to be the best at it — and that’s what we are.”

From Jets camp, Rex added: “It’s going to be great having him here. I know this is huge for him. He’s looked forward to it for a long time.”

Buddy Ryan was as outspoken and boisterous as his boys are, a persona he could back up with his team’s success on the field.

He was defensive coordinator of two renowned Super Bowl champions, the Joe Namath-led Jets who pulled off the huge upset in 1969, and the 1985 Bears who ran his 46 defense to perfection. He is also known for throwing a punch at the offensive coordinator while he was running the Oilers’ defense. Ryan also had entertaining stints as the head coach of the Eagles and the Cardinals.

Both sons were on their dad’s staff with the Cardinals in 1994 and ’95. They’ve since made a name for themselves, with Rex leading the Jets to the AFC championship game the last two years, and Rob winning two Super Bowls as an assistant coach for the Patriots’ Bill Belichick. This is Rob’s first season in Dallas after working as defensive coordinator of the Browns and Raiders the last four years.

The brothers have squared off before, and every time is special for the Ryan family, especially the patriarch.

“This game’s important to him,” Rob said. “He wants to see these two rams bat heads.”

____

AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, N.J., contributed to this report.

NEW ORLEANS — On multiple levels, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan was pleased to see Wes Welker standing on the sideline when the New England Patriots’ offense took the field in their second-round playoff game.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick punished Welker for making 11 foot-related comments in a nine-minute news conference. The remarks were thinly veiled references to fetish videos, purportedly starring Ryan’s wife, that surfaced during the season.

The Jets shocked the Patriots with a 28-21 victory in Gillette Stadium. Welker had seven catches for 57 yards. Welker had seven receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown six weeks earlier to help the Patriots beat the Jets by 42 points.

“First off, I was happy,” Ryan said, laughing, Tuesday morning at the NFL coaches breakfast, which is part of the annual owners meeting. “I was, like, ‘Cool! Welker’s not there!’ Yeah, I would bench him, too. I would bench him for the whole game. Bench him next year.”

In seriousness, Ryan viewed the gesture as a sign of respect from Belichick.

“It never surprised me,” Ryan said. “It’s not the Patriot way of doing things. So [Belichick] was upset about that. At the time, I was, like, that’s pretty cool. It was kind of neat.”

Ryan explained he and Welker have gotten grittier with each other — just not in public. Welker’s roommate at Texas Tech was Jets volunteer assistant coach Mike Smith. All of them — plus Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine — have trash texted each other “for years,” Ryan said. Smith briefly played for the Baltimore Ravens when Ryan and Pettine were on the staff and then got into coaching after a nasty shoulder injury.

“We text back and forth and rip each other back and forth before we ever play,” Ryan said. “That’s what we do. ‘Who’s going to be on me?’ ‘We’re going to put [Jets nose tackle] Sione Pouha on you.’

“But we have fun with each other. Trust me, we’ve said a lot worse to each other than what was reported. But I think he just went public with those comments, and that’s probably what upset Belichick.”

While Ryan has refused to take a submissive role when it comes to his AFC East rival, he once again expressed his utmost admiration for Belichick.

“I have more respect for Belichick than any coach in this league, as you guys know,” Ryan said. “But I still want to beat him, and the fact he’s in our division, I’m paid to beat him. I’ve got to go beat him.

“I can’t just go ‘Hey, Bill, don’t kick my butt too bad.’ No way in hell. We’re not conceding one iota. At times, I feel like we’re the only team that can beat him for whatever reason. They lost three games last year, two to us and one to my brother.”

The Jets beat the Patriots 28-14 in Week 2 at the Meadowlands and again in the playoffs at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots’ other regular-season loss was to the Cleveland Browns, where Ryan’s twin brother, Rob Ryan, was the defensive coordinator who flummoxed league MVP Tom Brady.

NEW YORK – Sal Alosi has resigned as strength and conditioning coach of the New York Jets, less than two months after he was caught tripping an opposing player during a punt return.

Alosi’s resignation was announced by the team Monday.

He was initially suspended without pay for the rest of the season and fined $25,000 by the team for sticking out his knee to trip Miami’s Nolan Carroll during a Dec. 12 game at Meadowlands Stadium. He was suspended indefinitely by the team after acknowledging he ordered players to form a wall along the sideline.

Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said Alosi decided after speaking with team officials “that it is best for him to tender his resignation.”

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(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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