What are the 49ers getting in likely coordinator Ryans? How will the defense look?
The 49ers likely won’t look too far for Robert Saleh’s replacement at defensive coordinator.
Linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans is expected to get the promotion after Saleh accepted the job to become the head coach for the New York Jets on Thursday.
Said head coach Kyle Shanahan after the season: “ It’s only as a matter of time before DeMeco is a coordinator in this league. It’s a matter of time before DeMeco will be a head coach.”
So what are the 49ers getting in their new defensive coordinator?
Ryans, a linebacker at Alabama, was the first pick of the second round in the 2006 NFL draft by the Houston Texans. He won defensive rookie of the year and was named to two Pro Bowls. He played for 10 seasons, ending his career in 2015. He ended his playing career at age 31 after making 970 tackles, 13.5 sacks, seven interceptions, seven forced fumbles and 72 tackles for loss.
Ryans as a player was regarded as an extension of the coaching staff, which is also a trait of Ryans’ star pupil, Fred Warner, who was named a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler for the first time in 2020. Ryans has also been pivotal in the quick development of Dre Greenlaw, who made a sizable impact on San Francisco’s defense as a rookie in 2019 after he was selected in the fifth round.
“He knows (the defense) like the back of his hand,” Greenlaw said last month. “(Ryans) and Saleh are definitely the leaders of the defense, just by helping and having played in that defense before, (Ryans) knows what to expect. He’s one of those guys that can break it down to where you understand it and he does a good job of just explaining exactly what he wants out of you. And he’s a players’ coach too.
“Everybody loves DeMeco just because you know he’s going to coach you hard and sometimes you ain’t going to like it, but at the same time he’s going to motivate you and tell you good job whenever you do something good. To have a coach that can give you the good and the bad, and just have your back through whatever, that makes him a perfect D-coordinator. “
Ryans moving up quickly
Ryans is also a fast riser. He joined the 49ers staff as a quality control assistant in 2017. He was promoted to inside linebackers coach in 2018 during Warner’s rookie season after the team tried to hire Ken Norton Jr. to coach the position. Norton was with San Francisco for a week before taking the defensive coordinator job with the Seattle Seahawks.
The unexpected loss of Norton likely sped up Ryans’ ascension up the coaching ranks.
“DeMeco is well-spoken, has got a lot of respect from his players, he’s incredibly intelligent. He is a sponge for knowledge,” Saleh said last month. “Even though he’s played in this league, he’s been a Pro Bowler, defensive rookie of the year, he’s still learns. I seem him taking notes every day.
“Coach (Shanahan) is talking, he’s taking notes. I’m talking, he’s taking notes. DB coach is talking, he’s taking notes. So he is an absolute sponge in that regard, which tells you that he’s not just going to take a system and go, he’s going to evolve. And so because of that, I just think he’s got a really good chance to continue to evolve and be a head coach one day.”
The expectation is the 49ers would continue to run the same scheme that was constructed by Saleh around the Pete Carroll’s Cover-3 heavy scheme. That was Shanahan’s preference when he hired Saleh because it’s simplistic enough to allow defenders to play fast.
The system often calls for one safety to play high and another to play in the box. But the scheme evolved during Saleh’s four seasons. It started with five players along the line of scrimmage in base downs, including one linebacker on the strong side. The team moved away from that during the 2019 offseason after hiring new defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, who implemented the “Wide-9” technique for defensive ends.
That new alignment called for edge players to line up well outside the offensive tackles, pushing the extra linebacker back to the second level of the defense in a more traditional 4-3 look. Ryans’ group adapted to the new arrangement just fine as the defense ranked second in the NFL overall and was the best unit against the pass, statistically, over the previous decade.
This story was originally published January 16, 2021 at 8:30 AM.
