Sheldon Richardson Says Jets Will Beat Patriots If They Execute

It looks like New York Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson is trying on Joe Namath's shoes for size. 

Per Kristian Dyer of Metro.us, Richardson made a guarantee Thursday that the Jets are going to take down the undefeated New England Patriots when they play Sunday:    

"

This is going to be another win for us. We’ll let you all write the columns about validating wins and stuff like that. This is going to be another win in the win column if we got out there and execute and do what we’re supposed to do. We’re going to be up in the division, that’s how we’re going to look at it. We’re going to be the front-runners, that’s how we look at it.

"

Richardson was quick to dispute the nature in which his remarks were interpreted, via his Twitter account:

At 4-1, the Jets are experiencing their best start to a season since 2010, when they made the AFC Championship Game, defeating none other than the Patriots in the divisional round.

They are also getting used to having Richardson back on their defensive line. 

Richardson was suspended for the first four games of the season and made his season debut last week against the Washington Redskins. While he's developed into a defensive force for Gang Green, he's been quiet against the Patriots. 

In four career games, he has 0.5 sacks and nine solo tackles as the Jets are 1-3 in that span. 

Despite their hot start, the Jets still trail the defending Super Bowl champions by one game. Meanwhile, the Patriots' official Twitter account tweeted this picture on Thursday and since deleted it, but Sunday Night Football on NBC was able to capture a screenshot:

For a rivalry that is never short of energy, Richardson's claims are more than likely going to make their way to the Patriots' bulletin board heading into Sunday. And if there's anything teams around the NFL have learned, it's not to anger Tom Brady and the Patriots. 

After an offseason filled with controversy about the Patriots offense allegedly benefiting from deflated footballs, New England has put up 30 or more points in four of its first five games. 

But if Richardson can back up this kind of guarantee and help deliver the Jets a win and the division lead, New York is going to be an awfully tough team to stop in 2015. 

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.