Diego at 4 a.m. following their 17-14 victory over the Chargers, but Ryan's bravado was in midseason form as he stood in a hallway talking with the Daily News yesterday about his confidence level going into Sunday's game.

"I'm confident. There is no question about it," he said. "We're going into the game expecting to win. I'd be shocked if we don't. Absolutely would be."

Ryan's brash talk has made him a cult hero to Jets fans, who have been this close to the Super Bowl only twice before in the 41 years since the Jets shocked the Colts in Super Bowl III. Now they are trying to shock the Colts again in the conference championship game after losing to the Dolphins in the '82 season game in Miami andthe Broncos in the '98 game in Denver.

But "shocked" if the Jets can't beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in Indianapolis in a playoff game? Not many people would be shocked by not winning under those circumstances.

"Well, that's okay," Ryan said. "We're taking our football team in. It's not just about one guy. It's about the entire football team. We'll see. I feel great about our football team."

Remember, the Colts were 14-0 before throwing in the towel on their undefeated season nearly three quarters of the way through Game No.15 against the Jets. The plan was to put the emphasis on giving the Colts the best chance to win the Super Bowl, not going undefeated, although those two are certainly not mutually exclusive.

The Colts led the Jets 15-10