Jets’ Barton brings laughs, talent to N.Y.

Eric Barton is a nonstop yapper in the New York Jets’ locker room.

The veteran linebacker’s deep voice is constantly heard, whether he’s shouting across the room and teasing one of his teammates, cracking jokes or pulling yet another silly prank.

“I just like to have fun,” said Barton, sporting a grown-out Mohawk hairstyle. “This group of guys, it’s an amazing group of guys. Before the season, I thought, ‘You know what? I’m going to enjoy this and these guys.’ I’ve been on a lot of teams and there’s not that many times you play or work with people you genuinely like and care about.”

The 31-year-old Barton, in his 10th NFL season and fifth with the Jets, also is well-liked by his teammates – despite his penchant for pranks. There was the time last season Barton rummaged through fellow linebacker Bryan Thomas’ locker, found a few colorful items of clothing and hung them on hangers in the middle of the locker room for all to see – and laugh at. And, that’s just one of the tame examples of Barton’s hijinks.

“He was actually worse in college,” said nose tackle Kris Jenkins, a former Maryland teammate. “Eric Barton now has definitely calmed down.”

When pressed for a few examples of Barton’s greatest hits, Jenkins’ lips were sealed.

“The things he did back then, they would be incriminating to him,” he said with a smile. “So, I can’t do it.”

Of course, it’s not all fun and games for Barton, who has a team-best 82 tackles heading into the AFC East-leading Jets’ game against Denver on Sunday. He also has 1 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery while also making the defensive calls for the last several weeks in place of the injured David Harris.

Barton had one of his most impressive games two weeks ago in New York’s overtime victory at New England, when he had a career-high 17 tackles.

Buffalo fans irked over game in Canada

What was the NFL thinking when it scheduled the warm-weather Miami Dolphins to play their division-rival Buffalo Bills in the cozy confines of a domed stadium in December, and in Canada of all places?

That’s the question numerous unhappy Bills fans have been asking since the schedule came out with Buffalo playing a “home” game against Miami at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on Dec. 7.

With that in mind, two Bills season-ticket holders, Andrew Petrinec and Al Keohane, decided to do something about shifting the climate-controlled playing field in Buffalo’s favor by organizing a petition to have the domed stadium’s retractable roof open for the game.

“We’re just trying to make a difference,” said Petrinec, who’s gathered about 1,000 signatures on the Internet and in person. “We’re trying to do anything we can to help out the team and make a little noise so maybe the league will recognize that fans aren’t extremely thrilled with it.”

Bad enough that Buffalo fans were deprived of a game in Orchard Park against an AFC East opponent when the Bills secured a five-year deal to become the first NFL team to start playing annual regular-season games outside the U.S.

What’s worse is the Bills losing their traditional cold-field advantage. The Dolphins might have the edge in the series, with a 51-37-1 record against Buffalo. But they have certainly struggled at Orchard Park after Dec. 1, going 2-7, including two playoff losses.

Steelers make moves

The Steelers re-signed running back Najeh Davenport and released rookie cornerback Roy Lewis. In two-plus seasons with Pittsburgh, Davenport ran for 768 yards, seven touchdowns and a 4.3 yards per carry average.