Texans coach DeMeco Ryans named NFL Assistant Coach of the Year

New Texans coach led NFL’s top-ranked defense with 49ers in final season with NFC West franchise

FILE - San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans celebrate on the sideline during the team's NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Dec. 24, 2022, in Santa Clara, Calif. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Ryans and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen are the finalists for AP Assistant Coach of the Year.(AP Photo/Scot Tucker, File) (Scot Tucker, Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

HOUSTON – Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was recognized for his work with the San Francisco 49ers as the architect of their top-ranked defense.

He was named the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year during the annual NFL Honors awards, receiving 35 first-place votes and 206 points and being named on 48 of 50 ballots to beat out Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

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Ryans, 38, a former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowl linebacker with the Texans, was hired last week and signed to a six-year contract.

Ryans built his reputation as a cerebral leader as a standout player and applied that deep knowledge of football and coaching acumen with the 49ers.

“We are thrilled to welcome DeMeco Ryans as the new head coach of the Houston Texans,” Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said. “For so many reasons, DeMeco is everything we are looking for in a leader and coach for our organization. He has a proven track record for developing high-quality players and constantly innovated his defensive scheme over the last six seasons in San Francisco.

“We started this process with the goal of finding someone our fans and city can be proud of and we’ve done just that. While we received a lot of incredible feedback and support for DeMeco from different people, it was our discussions with him and his vision for our football team that made him the right coach to lead us as we continue to evolve as an organization. Congratulations to DeMeco and his family and welcome back to H-Town.”

New York Jets coach Robert Saleh, in a telephone interview, discussed why Ryans has made such a meteoric rise as a former star player into an ultra-professional coach who thrives as a leader of men and a consummate teacher. Saleh was on the Texans’ coaching staff when Ryans was playing in Houston, then worked with him with the 49ers when Ryan was a quality control and linebackers coach before ascending to defensive coordinator when Saleh became a head coach.

“DeMeco is awesome,” Saleh said. “He’s going to do great. This is a really cool opportunity for him. Captain ‘Meco: phenomenal, family man, obviously relatable. As a former player, he has that empathy and relatability. He’s very, very smart. He’s always trying to learn. I think that’s what you appreciate the most out of him.”

Ryans has always had a thirst for knowledge and is never complacent in wanting to improve.

“Former players, most of the time, it’s an adjustment,” Saleh said. “You have to learn a way to teach it. The natural instinct is you want to teach it the way you did it, but not everybody is like you. DeMeco was an All-Pro football player. He remade himself into a teacher and learned all the ways that guys can play the game To implement what he learned to maximize all the guys around him, that’s what makes him special.”

Ryans, the boss of the 49ers’ aggressive defense, drew heavy praise around the league. That includes those who know Ryans well from his time in Houston as a punishing tackler, intellectual extension of the coaching staff on and off the field, and as a high-character individual in the locker room and community.

“Unbelievable coach, very sharp guy, DeMeco is special, I think he’s going to do a hell of a job,” said Richard Smith, the Indianapolis Colts linebackers coach who was the Texans’ defensive coordinator when Ryans was drafted in the second round out of Alabama in 2006. “Smart hire from Cal and that organization. Several people have called me on his behalf. He came in as a rookie as the starter, and he made great adjustments. He would turn to me on the sidelines and say, ‘Hey coach, how about we do this?’ And he would be right about that adjustment.

“No highs and lows with him, he has an even-keel sense of confidence in him. I’m so excited for him. I’m excited for Houston that Cal is looking to bring back someone who’s part of the family and bring some stability to Houston. I like that Cal has jumped out on it. Bob McNair, his father, would feel the same way. I’m so happy for DeMeco. It’s really exciting.

After delivering punishing tackles and timely defensive audibles on the fly during a highly decorated NFL career spent primarily with the Texans, Ryans will now run the team as the replacement for Lovie Smith who was fired after a 3-13-1 season.

The 49ers ranked first in the NFL in total defense and scoring defense, allowing 300.6 yards per contest and 16.3 points per game.

“I think DeMeco would be great,” former Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. “He was the captain of the team when I came here and he’s a smart guy. I’m not surprised he’s a really good coach. Some players adapt to it, some don’t. He’s one that did very well.”

Why has Ryans moved up so fast? The former Texans team captain checks a lot of boxes.

“He’s a great teacher,” a 49ers defensive player told KPRC 2. “He’s a great coach, great person. He’s different than your typical coach. He played the game at a very high level and he’s able to relate that to his players. Yes, he’s special. He’s a great leader.”

Promoted from quality control coach to inside linebackers to his current post running the defense, Ryans has built a defense that reflects his playing style: aggressive, composed and quick-striking.

“He’s the ideal coach,” said retired former Texans and Eagles linebacker N.D. Kalu, Ryans’ former teammate and a radio host on Sports Talk 790. “He’s young enough to relate to the players, but so much of a leader they’re going to follow him. He was the guy you knew would be destined for great things on and off the field. I know I’m a little biased, but he’s been my No. 1 choice for the last two years to be the next head coach.”

The 49ers allowed just 18.9 points per game and 305.3 yards per game over the past two seasons.

“DeMeco is so naturally talented and he’s good at everything he’s ever done and he really understands football,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He did as a player, he did as a quality control in his first year. He did as a linebacker coach, and he has as a coordinator, and he was good right away. But, anytime you have someone who does have those types of abilities, the more reps they get, like everybody, they get better.

“You go through experiences and you learn from the good and the bad and that’s what’s pretty neat about DeMeco because he was going to be good regardless, but just watching him throughout last year, each game, each quarter, he learned something. And he’s always trying to think and always trying to challenge his players, but always trying to keep it simple, too.”

Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com


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