HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Eric Mangini doesn’t seem too worried about the perception that he broke an unwritten rule of the NFL’s coaching fraternity by snitching on Bill Belichick last week over the illegal use of a sideline video camera.

“I feel very comfortable with the people I’ve known and know throughout the league,” Mangini said Wednesday in response to questions about the backlash against him for turning in Belichick during his Week 1 game against the Pats. “In terms of unwritten rules, you’d have to talk to the people that are bringing that up. I feel very comfortable with the situation.”

Just to be safe, Mangini ought to watch his back.

Like it or not, the perception is that he squealed on Belichick, the man who gave him a shot at being a high-profile assistant and thus a chance at the Jets’ coaching job. And in a league with more machismo and testosterone than any other sport this side of professional wrestling, that’s not a good thing for a 36-year-old man in his second year as a head coach. In fact, the perception that Mangini ratted out his mentor may have prompted him to make an unusual telephone call Tuesday evening. When word got out that Brian Billick had accused the Jets’ defenders of illegally simulating the Ravens’ snap count, Mangini phoned Billick to see what was up.

“We had a good conversation,” Mangini said. “It was important for me to talk to him and make sure we didn’t have a misunderstanding. We don’t coach things to cause penalties. We don’t believe in getting penalties, and it’s something we work hard to minimize at all times.”

Mangini said he “felt very good about the conversation” and left it at that. The fact that Billick even raised the issue unsolicited might have left you wondering whether Mangini is now leaving himself open to being criticized, in part for blowing the whistle on Belichick.

But even if Billick really was ticked, and even if other coaches take issue with Mangini for jumping on Belichick, does it really matter? After all, Mangini’s job is to win football games, not to ingratiate himself into a coaching fraternity that isn’t exactly the most stable bunch around. With coaches getting fired at a record clip in recent years, it’s not as if Mangini is going to risk running out of poker buddies at the league meetings every spring.

No, the real damage isn’t what Mangini has done to himself, it’s what he’s done to Belichick. By blowing the whistle on the three-time Super Bowl-winning coach, Mangini has undoubtedly stoked the competitive fires in Belichick that already burn more brightly than any other coach out there. I have to imagine that Belichick, never a Mangini fan since he took the Jets’ job against Belichick’s advice, is so far beyond angry that it borders on obsession.

Belichick hasn’t revealed much publicly over the incident, except to say that he has moved on and so has his team. But what you saw in New England’s dismantling of the Chargers on Sunday night was partly the residual effect of the controversy from the week before. Belichick’s players, as well as Owner Robert Kraft, were clearly circling the wagons in defense of the coach. And their dominating play was a tribute to just how much they want to win for the guy. Belichick’s smile and wave to the adoring crowd was about as demonstrative a moment as you’ll ever see from the poker-faced coach.

If his team plays like this all season, then they’ll give the unbeaten ’72 Dolphins a run.

As for Mangini, you can’t blame him for wanting to protect himself against a divisional opponent, no matter how much Belichick helped him along the way. But he also must understand that outing Belichick’s proclivity for breaking the league’s rules about sign-stealing has created further animosity. Forget about a postgame handshake when the teams meet Dec. 16. Belichick might deliver a right cross.

The gloves have been off in the Belichick-Mangini rivalry ever since the Jets hired him two years ago. In fact, it started even before they hired him. After Mangini interviewed with the Jets, Belichick had Mangini’s security card for the team’s offices canceled, even though he was still a Patriots’ employee.

Mangini has shown he’s willing to fight back, even if it means subjecting Belichick to the most embarrassing scrutiny in a long and distinguished career that will undoubtedly see him reach the Hall of Fame. But to use the boxing metaphor that Mangini so enjoys, his turning in Belichick last week will amount to nothing more than a sucker punch. Belichick will be the one delivering the knockout blows in the months and years to come.

Distributed by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service

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