Be happy, Jets fans: An invite's an invite

If it were easy, they wouldn't be the Jets, now would they?

So before you begin worrying, fans, take a step back to appreciate the bigger picture of yesterday's strangeness.

Rex Ryan did, when he learned in the middle of a whiplash-inducing news conference that his team had backed into the postseason - seconds after a celebratory howl drifted over from the locker room.

"By the way, I think we're in the playoffs,'' the Jets' coach said abruptly. "It wasn't the way I wanted to get in, but I'll take it. My goodness.''

Thus did he go in less than a minute from saying "we couldn't stop a nosebleed'' during a 38-34 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field to answering a question about whether he would rest starters in Week 17.

There will be plenty of time in the next two weeks - and later in this column - to fret over legitimate areas of concern.

But Ryan is now 2-for-2 reaching the playoffs for a franchise that had reached in back-to-back seasons only four times previously, and has done so while being consistently entertaining.

Sure, sometimes it's been R-rated, sometimes PG-13. But entertaining it has been.

Last night's pro-and-con dramatics only added to the lore.

"It went from a blown opportunity to 'We're in!' " said a beaming LaDainian Tomlinson, who after 10 seasons in the NFL knows better than to scoff at any playoff chance.

It was Tomlinson who, after watching the Redskins beat the Jaguars in overtime on television with Mark Sanchez and several assistant coaches, burst into the visiting locker room to share the news.

Does he have friends on the Redskins he plans to thank? "I do now,'' he said. "Rex Grossman!''

Sanchez, who never has failed to make the postseason as a pro, was much less ebullient; he was too busy beating himself up over a last-minute interception that ended the Jets' chances.

"We lose the game and we make the playoffs,'' he said. "I have no idea how that's supposed to feel like.''

Mostly, it's supposed to feel good, Mark.

He should have learned that last year, when the Jets secured a berth after their final two opponents lost interest, and turned it into a run to the AFC title game.

"The playoffs is a whole new season, man,'' linebacker Calvin Pace said. "You see a lot of teams go in 9-7 and they're in the Super Bowl. The Arizona Cardinals did it.''

On the other hand . . . before invoking the Cardinals, Pace expressed disgust about how the Jets' defense looked against the Bears.

"We have to get better,'' he said, shaking his head.

Nearby, linebacker Bryan Thomas appeared stunned. "As a defense, we can't let that happen,'' he said. "We can't let any team, I don't care who it is, put up 38 points. It's just totally unacceptable.''

Ryan agreed. Even after he learned the happy news, he said, "Obviously, we're not going anywhere if we can't play better defense than that.''

So there you have it, Jets supporters. You're in, and there is no reason not to be pleased. But you also have plenty of stuff to chew over, and there is no reason to be a Jets fan if you can't do that.

The team stayed in Chicago because of the snowstorm back home and planned to study what went wrong last night. And, presumably to celebrate what has gone right so far this season.

"I would have signed up for it at the beginning of the year,'' Ryan said. "We're in the tournament, and a lot of teams can't say that.''