Sean McVay on Texans coach DeMeco Ryans: ‘I’m glad I don’t have to play him anymore!’

PHOENIX – Dialing up plays and matching wits, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay and DeMeco Ryans were two strategists at work on opposing sidelines the past few years in the NFC West division.

Ryans built game plans seeking an edge against one of the most creative play-callers in the NFL, and the 49ers went 6-0 in the regular season the past three seasons against the Rams with the notable exception of an NFC championship game loss two seasons ago to the eventual Super Bowl champions.

Now that Ryans, the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year last season as the leader of the 49ers’ top-ranked defense is the Texans’ new head coach, his clashes with the Rams and McVay will be infrequent.

“He’ll be great, he’s a great leader,” McVay said. “You hear people talking about DeMeco and how seamlessly he made the transition into coaching you can feel the presence he had as a player was just different.

“He always elevated people he was around. Such a quick study. His identity, his command he put on that defense and the way the guys played really well for him, I think he’ll do the same thing as a head coach. I’m glad I don’t have to play him anymore!”

McVay isn’t alone in his glowing assessment of Ryans.

Kets coach Robert Saleh isn’t the least bit surprised by the meteoric rise of Ryans from a star linebacker 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 as a Pro Bowl linebacker, defensive captain and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Then, Saleh worked with the former Alabama consensus All-American with the San Francisco 49ers when Ryan was a quality control and linebackers coach before ascending to defensive coordinator when Saleh became a head coach with the Jets.

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Now, Saleh can’t wait to see Ryans put his stamp on the Texans as he’s introduced Thursday as the sixth head coach in franchise history.

“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.

That’s what stands out to Saleh as Ryans has made a smooth transition from playing the game as a hard-hitting, instinctive linebacker into a coach who communicates on a deep level with his players.

“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.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com