Since starting off his career with the New York Jets as a serious threat in the AFC title picture, Rex Ryan has watched his team slowly slip back to mediocrity. This season, the Jets once again started off hot, but the team struggled down the stretch and rookie quarterback Geno Smith appeared to be in over his head.
Now, thanks to the Baltimore Ravens win over the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football, the Jets will once again be watching the playoffs from the sidelines.
This will put Ryan back on the hot seat and cause people to begin speculating about his future with the team, but he remains confident and believes that he is exactly the man for the job and the head coach that the Jets need.
“I’m a competent guy, even though I know that’ll be questioned a zillion times forward and backward,” Ryan said, via the Newark Star-Ledger.
“That’s fine. But I know I’m a good football coach. I believe in this team. I believe in this organization. And I’m determined to bring a winner to this team. There’s no question about it. And I believe that I’m the right guy for it. I’m not the guy making that decision. If I was, it would be easy. I think that this team is on the right path. It might not be reflected in our record right now. I understand that. But I believe this team is going in the right direction.”
Despite some of the wild antics and constant headlines, Ryan has never lost his team. He remains loved in the locker room and he is a guy that the team likes to play for, so his job could be safe if they can finish off the year with two straight wins.
However, even if Ryan is ultimately fired from New York, he will resurface elsewhere as a head coach and his confidence will be one of his strongest attributes.