NFL

Delusional Rex spins Jets’ debacle for all he’s worth

Like so many Jets head coaches before him, Rex Ryan stood at a podium in a crowded interview room yesterday and played the part of the unconcerned leader in a time of crisis.

In an effort to refute a report quoting several anonymous Jets players and team “officials’’ ripping Tim Tebow, Ryan did what Joe Walton, Bruce Coslet, Pete Carroll, Rich Kotite and even Bill Parcells, Herman Edwards and Eric Mangini all did in times like this: He dialed up the spin cycle so furiously it left you a bit confused and queasy.

When it was over, like many of his predecessors, Ryan sounded like a man whistling past a graveyard in the dark — doing his best to be oblivious to the demons.

Ryan’s spin was so dizzying he actually suggested this incident might draw his team closer together.

“This team is not going to be pulled apart by outside people,’’ he said defiantly. “I feel extremely confident that this football team is coming closer together than what maybe is being thought of us falling apart. Could this [incident] galvanize it? I don’t know. Maybe so.

“We’re building a team that will be close and will build each other up. I look at [this] as an opportunity to actually build [the] team up.’’

The cowards who allegedly ripped apart Tebow — a team-player backup quarterback who hardly ever plays and when he does, he has shackles on thanks to an unimaginative offensive coordinator — surely are not part of Ryan’s team-building committee.

So if you think Ryan sounded delusional yesterday, you are not alone.

This is a full-blown crisis for Ryan, because a loss of control of the locker room for a second consecutive season and again not reaching the playoffs are probably the only things that can get him fired.

Team owner Woody Johnson, who adores Ryan and the attention he draws to the franchise, has no interest in firing him. But, more than mounting losses, losing the locker room again — when handling players is considered one of Ryan’s strengths — might be the only thing that could cost him his job.

So, enter yesterday’s spin cycle.

“Inside these walls we are going to be like this,’’ Ryan said, folding the fingers of his hands together like a fitting puzzle. “I believe this team will — is — coming together, and we’ll see if there are no cracks in the armor. We’ll find that out. Maybe we aren’t there right now, but I believe we will be.’’

Several of his veteran players agreed.

“When you have such a blatant example of someone trying to tear the team down, I think guys can rally around that,’’ left guard Brandon Moore said. “That opinion [on Tebow] is not a true indication of what the feelings in this locker room are.’’

Linebacker Bryan Thomas angrily called the anonymous Tebow attackers “disgusting,’’ adding, “That hurts your feelings as a man. That’s my teammate.’’

Thomas, though, believes the team remains united despite this incident.

“Watching this team in practice, guys are still competing like it’s the very first game of the season and that’s exciting,’’ he said.

“I do see this team closer than it was,’’ right guard Matt Slauson said. “We’re obviously struggling right now, but we were struggling last year and things were terrible. It’s a different feeling this year. You can’t exactly put your finger on it, but you can see it in practice. Even though we’re struggling, there’s enthusiasm out on the field.’’

Mark Sanchez said Ryan “gave us a good talk’’ about the anonymous Tebow bashing yesterday and insisted, “I just don’t think it’s as divisive as people might think.’’

Only time will tell if Ryan’s spin was the delusional drivel of a desperate man.

That time could come as quickly as Sunday in St. Louis, where the Jets play against their deposed scapegoat offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, and the Rams, who are laying in wait to inflict further damage to the Jets’ season than those pesky Tebow bashers did.

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com