FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) - A day after Bart Scott called out heckling fans, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan told the linebacker to remember to ``appreciate'' them and that they ``deserve better'' than how the team has played.

Scott says Thursday that he understands that fans pay ``good money'' to come to NFL games, and can say what they want because it's ``freedom of speech.'' The chatty linebacker appeared to soften his stance after telling the Daily News that harsh fans who yell at you were probably ``picked last in dodgeball all through high school.''

While Scott didn't apologize for his comments, he says he just wanted to protect his team and people can be as harsh as they want, as long as they don't get physical.

---

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL