No pussyfooting around: Ryan’s Jets respectable-ish

My regular barbershop was founded in 1959. The now-elderly Italian men use straightedge razors, big jars of sky-blue aftershave and hide the Playboys under the newspapers.

There is wood panelling and pictures of Italian hilltop towns and hairstyles, both of which appear to date from the 1980s or earlier. Joe, the owner who co-founded the place, says when long-haired hippies were in vogue, he had to take a second job at the racetrack.

What I’m trying to say is it was really awkward to try to explain Rex Ryan to them after the foot fetish video thing, which I had to do when the New York Jets was dominating the tabloids in December 2010. The collection of online videos — which were remarkably chaste, really — were unearthed and opened a blizzard of headlines, from … let’s quote from the archives …

■ Tormented Rex Bares ‘Sole’ Over Kinky Feet Vids ■ The Agony Of De-Feet

■ Gang Green: Beating Bears Would Have Heel-Ing Power

■ Sole Man

And that was just the New York Post.

The elderly Italians were a little befuddled — and a little bemused. That was near the end of New York’s 8-8 season after two straight AFC championship appearances, in which the Jets began descending into farce: Antonio Cromartie trying to name all his kids on Hard Knocks; the revelation of the Brett Favre sex harassment allegations; Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez and the time Tebow pointed out the Jets were playing on the 666th Monday Night Football while Sanchez had a 66.6 quarterback rating, six TD throws, six interceptions, a long pass of 66 yards while wearing No. 6; and the infamous Buttfumble.

The Jets went 6-10 last season. It felt worse than that.

And Rex Ryan, whether being laughed at for his foot thing, revealing the tattoo of his wife wearing a Sanchez jersey or for his good ol’ big mouth — well, we forgot Rex was considered a really good coach. Instead, he became a sitcom character, the jolly goofball, the hapless everyman who loves his purty wife. The Jets!

But hey, wait. Last week, the Jets were in OT against New England — a team Ryan beat in the 2010 divisional game — and were driving. They had to try a 56-yard field goal, which was dodgy.

But the Patriots were called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when rookie defensive lineman Chris Jones pushed teammate Will Svitek into the pile, which as of this year is a penalty.

Patriots coach and genius-in-residence Bill Belichick said the rule was actually that only players not on the line of scrimmage can’t push teammates, which is not how the finished rule was worded. Hmm.

The Jets apparently warned the officials before the game the Patriots had been doing this, including in a game against New Orleans, whose defensive coordinator is Rex’s twin brother Rob. And when it happened, the officials caught it and the Jets were moved into a comfortable field-goal range. They won the game.

And hey! The Jets are 4-3 despite starting a rookie second-rounder at quarterback in Geno Smith, despite few explosive skill players, and despite the occasional incompetence thing.

Sure, the next two weeks (at Cincinnati and home to New Orleans) will be tough, but the Jets are … respectable-ish again. Rob Ryan got Bill Belichick again. Rex presumably still loves his wife from head to toe. Rex may not talk as big as he used to, or be as big as he used to be, but the man can still coach. Good for him. He’s fun.

Last week, after three consecutive non-losing weeks, this space went 5-9. Thaaaat’s more like it. As always, all lines could change.