New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott summed up New York’s 2011 National Football League season Monday as he flipped off reporters before exiting the locker room.

Scott’s move was classless, but then again, this New York team proved to be a joke for most of the season.

As star cornerback Darrelle Revis refused to answer reporters’ questions Monday, the essence of what was New York’s season began to show.

Head coach Rex Ryan once again predicted the Jets would win the Super Bowl this year. The team came close to at least reaching the Super Bowl the past two seasons, losing in the American Football Conference title game after Ryan also began those campaigns with the same bold predictions.

This season, however, the Jets succumbed to their own hyperbole. Not only is the team not going to win the Super Bowl, it didn’t even make the playoffs, finishing 8-8 after losing three consecutive games to end the season.

The Jets have become one of the New England Patriots’ biggest rivals. Just before Ryan’s first season began with New York in 2009, he started the fight with New England, saying he “wouldn’t kiss” any of Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s four Super Bowl rings. He was in New York to surpass the Patriots. That 2009 regular season didn’t go quite as planned for the Jets, as they backed into the playoffs after finishing 9-7. They did make an improbable run to the AFC title game. New England had won the regular season division title that year, but lost in the divisional round to the Baltimore Ravens.

In 2010, Ryan made the same Super Bowl prediction. Once again, New England won the regular season division title, going 14-2, but lost to the 11-5 Jets in the divisional round. This came only one month after New England dismantled New York 45-3 during the regular season.

It appeared the Jets and Ryan finally had New England’s number as New England spent two straight seasons watching the Jets move on.

Ryan expected third-year quarterback Mark Sanchez to put it all together this season and become an elite quarterback. Ryan made a questionable move and named the oft-maligned Santonio Holmes a team captain. Plaxico Burress returned to the NFL after missing four seasons while serving jail time. Everything seemed to be falling into place for New York.

Sanchez proved to be less than average, passing for 3,474 yards while completing 56.7 percent of his passes. He threw for 26 touchdowns, but also 18 interceptions. Not much better than his first two seasons.

Burress and Holmes, both receivers, didn’t do much either as they combined for a little more than 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Ryan also benched Holmes for the team’s final drive against Miami on Sunday in a game that the Jets needed to win to even have a shot of making the playoffs. New York lost 19-17.

So, the Jets/Patriots rivalry had been interesting the first two seasons and it appeared that Ryan and company weren’t going to bow down to the mighty Patriots.

Then 2011 came and the Jets folded as quickly as their season ended. The Patriots, once again won the division and earned home-field advantage in the playoffs, finishing 13-3.

New England fans can revel in the fact that Ryan, who is one of the most brash in the NFL, is wearing egg on his face.

Patriots fans delighted in watching the New York Giants beat the Jets two weeks ago when Ryan added icing to the cake after his midfield verbal joust with the Giants’ Brandon Jacobs. During the spat, Ryan told Jacobs the Jets were still going to win the Super Bowl despite just losing to the Giants. Jacobs told him he would “punch him in the mouth” and called Ryan “fat boy.”

Ryan deserved the jabs, since leading up to the game he continually told the Giants that they were the Jets’ little brothers and that his team was clearly the better team since it reached the AFC title game the past two seasons.

Ryan forgot one thing, however: His team didn’t win those title games.

Yes, the Jets have had some success since 2009, but they still haven’t won a championship. Talk is cheap and until Ryan understands this, he and his squad will not only continue to be the laughing stock in New England, but across the national as well.

Keep talking.

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Editors note: The headline to this editorial has been updated to correct an error.

Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.