NFL

Changes needed to clean up Jets mess – and Ryan faces much of the blame

That draft you felt some time after Thanksgiving dinner was Patriots running back Shane Vereen speeding past overmatched Jets linebacker Bart Scott for an 83-yard touchdown and a 14-0 New England lead. It came on a simple “wheel’’ route out of the backfield, a staple in every team’s playbook.

The draft, too, came from the door being opened to reveal a first look inside at how tenuous Rex Ryan’s future is as the Jets coach.

That breeze you felt a short time later as dessert was about to be served was Patriots safety Steve Gregory scampering 32 unimpeded yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead after Mark Sanchez had collided with Brandon Moore’s butt on a broken play and fumbled the ball away.

The breeze, too, came from the door swinging further open to suggest Ryan’s imminent departure if things don’t drastically improve on the double.

That gust you felt moments later was Patriots receiver Julian Edelman running 22 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 lead with a look-what-I-found recovery of a Joe McKnight fumble of the ensuing kickoff.

The gust, too, came from the door nearly being broken down with team owner Woody Johnson barging in and demanding answers from his head coach.

For the first time in Ryan’s four-year tenure as coach, visions of it ending badly here like it did for so many of the 16 coaches before him are beginning to surface. Ryan’s seat is hotter now than it has ever been.

POLL: WHO IS MOST AT FAULT FOR THE JETS’ FUTILITY?

This is illustrated by a New York Post online poll conducted last night in which nearly 38 percent of all respondents said Ryan is the most to blame for the Jets’ poor play.

I do not believe Ryan should be fired, nor do I believe he will be. But I do not exonerate him for what has transpired. The man has proven he can coach with good talent on his roster — the same way Sanchez has proven he can be a winning quarterback with more help around him.

But considering how the Jets roster has deteriorated since the team’s back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 2010 and 2011, how can Johnson sell another year of Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum to his irate fan base? He can’t.

This mess the 4-7 Jets are in has seemed to seal the fate of Tannenbaum, who should no longer be allowed to buy the groceries. But Thursday night’s national embarrassment has now drawn Ryan into the speculation fray.

I tried to speak with Johnson after he emerged stone-faced from the Jets locker room following the 49-19 loss to the Patriots and he wanted no part of it. The Jets owner, usually affable, upbeat and fairly accessible, walked away while his security man provided better blocking than we saw from the Jets offensive line in the game.

Last week, in the wake of the reported organizational back-biting about Tim Tebow’s value to the team, Johnson addressed reporters en masse for the first time this season and opened up about how “sick’’ every loss makes him and how this isn’t what he signed up for.

Well, imagine the churning taking place in his stomach Thursday night in the nationally televised Thanksgiving home game he so craved to showcase his team and his stadium to the world.

Pride, the emotion Johnson surely most preferred to experience on such a grand stage, quickly turned into public humiliation.

Humiliated billionaire owners rarely stand pat. They react with significant change. Ask Eric Mangini, who, for his first couple of seasons with the team, was viewed as the Boy Wonder, but was fired after an 8-3 start ended in 9-7 in 2008, infuriating Jets fans.

Enough said. No one is safe. Not even Ryan, who by all accounts Johnson adores. But how many more Thursday nights can the owner take?

So for the first time, the door has swung open to the possibility of Ryan not surviving this season. Should the blooper-reel football continue in these final five games, it might push Johnson into believing that keeping Ryan would be untenable.

Evaluations by Johnson will be ongoing in the coming weeks.

The combined record of the Jets’ remaining five opponents is 17-33, with no team having a winning record. So a home loss to the 4-6 Cardinals a week from tomorrow followed by a loss to the 1-9 Jaguars the following week in Jacksonville could spell doom for everyone — including Ryan.

A complete overhaul after this season is not necessary, because I believe it would set the organization back too far. But more of what the Jets gave their fans on Thanksgiving night and Johnson might have no choice but to make a complete purge, sending out significantly strong winds of change.