"I'm a competent guy, even though I know that'll be questioned a zillion times forward and backward," said to the Newark Star Ledger.
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"That's fine. But I know I'm a good football coach. I believe in this team. I believe in this organisation.
"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."
Given that Ryan's contract is up at the end of this season, it was widely believed that first-year Jets general manager John Idzik would seek to find his own hand-selected coach to lead the organisation forward.
The fact that Ryan was a layover from the Mike Tannenbaum era would make things all that much easier.
Coming into this season, very few people thought the Jets would top the six-win plateau. If that was indeed the case, how could anyone blame the Jets from wanting to move in a different direction?
However, if New York wins its last two regular season games against the Browns and Dolphins, they will finish with a respectable 8-8 record.
Over the course of the past four seasons, the Jets' talent has gradually declined, so the fact that the boisterous leader may coax eight wins out of this particular group is impressive.
Ryan is a players' coach, and despite his shortcomings on the offensive side of the ball, he still has the ability to scheme and motivate the troops on defence.
Offensive tackle Willie Colon seemed to back up the idea that Ryan's voice can still resonate within the Jets' lockeroom.
"I'll stand on a soap box and say, 'Rex is my coach'," Colon added.
"He's one of the main reasons I came here. I love the guy to death. I love his passion, I love his heart."
Colon also said that losing Ryan wouldn't help the Jets get better moving forward.
"I think if he doesn't come back it would be a step back for us as a team," he said.
There is no doubt that the son of Buddy Ryan, who is viewed by many to be the greatest defensive mind of all time, can still be an effective leader of an NFL team.
The question is whether that team is the New York Jets. If the Jets do manage to finish the season at .500, then the decision will be that much harder for Idzik. If New York drops its final two games, then Ryan will likely be looking for a new job at the end of the season.