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Jets Owner Woody Johnson: 'I'm Not In This To Create A Circus Environment'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - With their first game of the season just three days away, the Jets decided to draw a line in the sand on Thursday.

Amid the publicity surrounding Tim Tebow and the 0-4 preseason in which Gang Green scored just one touchdown, fans and pundits alike have been down on the Jets heading into their Week 1 showdown with the Bills at MetLife Stadium.

But Jets owner Woody Johnson made it clear that his goal for this season is to win football games -- not sell tickets and get the most  headlines.

"We're deadly serious about what we're doing here," Johnson said. "(We're) trying to win games and trying to represent our fans as they expect us to represent them. We learned this in third grade, the whole sticks and stones and all this stuff about calling people names and all that -- that's what that is. It's a way to sell papers. But I'm not in this to create a circus environment."

Head coach Rex Ryan reinforced his owner's statement, making is clear that he's sick of the perception that the Jets are nothing but a circus act.

He also added, once again, that the Jets are more dangerous than people are making them out to be.

"I promise our opponents will take us seriously," Ryan told WFAN's Kim Jones.

Following the season opener, the Jets will travel to Pittsburgh and Miami before returning home to host the 49ers in Week 4.

How do you feel about Woody's statement? Is he more about winning football games or drawing publicity to his franchise? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below...

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