Here’s why expectations are sky-high for the 49ers’ ‘Mufasa,’ king of the defense
Good luck finding someone with a bad word to say about new 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.
“He’s been successful in everything he’s done,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said.
“He is built for this juncture,” added offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who, alongside Shanahan, was on the Houston Texans’ coaching staff when Ryans was drafted with the 33rd overall pick in 2006. The middle linebacker was named the league’s defensive rookie of the year.
Being built for his new role is what made hiring Ryans to replace Robert Saleh, now the head coach with the New York Jets, an easy call for Shanahan. There wasn’t an exhaustive search outside the building for Saleh’s replacement. There wasn’t much of a search at all. Shanahan was comfortable with promoting Ryans from the outset when it was clear Saleh would land a head coaching job elsewhere last winter.
Shanahan over the last three seasons has seen how Ryans handled his job as inside linebackers coach on the practice field and in meeting rooms (there are cameras set up in each position room for Shanahan to stay privy). He’s seen how Ryans helped developed All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner move from a hybrid slot defender at BYU to signal-caller of the defense as a rookie. That was in 2018, Ryans’ first season as a position coach after spending just one season as a quality control assistant.
Shanahan even has Ryans address the team with important speeches, like earlier this month, when he talked about staying on task during the dead time between the offseason team activities the start of training camp in late July. Ryans is a relatable figure as a 10-year veteran who is six years removed from a successful playing career.
“It’s been fun for me to watch him in it and just for him to continue to flourish and get better each day,” Shanahan said. “I’m pumped about DeMeco and I think he’s going to show everyone how good he is.”
Said Warner: “The passion, the enthusiasm, such a smart mind and he’s able to really teach guys. That’s the biggest thing is that teaching aspect. I know we’re going to be firing this season. I love his demeanor and what he expects of us.”
Built for coaching
Being built for the defensive coordinator job started as far back as Ryans’ college years, at Alabama in 2004 and 2005. Then-defensive coordinator Joe Kines used to call on Ryans to give out play calls while going over film.
“He really got me interested in coaching,” Ryans said in a phone interview with The Bee. “He’d go, ‘Okay, DeMeco, give us the call.’
“All those little things kind of added up and as I was going through my career. It was just always in my nature to help those guys (teammates) to be a coach on the field. And also, as I study, I need to know what the defensive line is doing, what the secondary is doing.
“For me, it was a puzzle and how do I put that puzzle together and try to teach young guys that as well, to help them.”
Ryans would also get after his teammates for not picking up after themselves in the locker room. Former Crimson Tide running back Kenneth Darby began calling Ryans “Coach” when Ryans told Darby to clean up his trash. It was “out of respect for the janitors,” Ryans said.
Ryans was later given the nickname “Mufasa,” after the character from the movie “Lion King” who was known for his wisdom and calming influence. That one came from Chip Kelly when he coached Ryans with the Philadelphia Eagles (before Kelly would eventually become head coach of the 49ers in 2016).
A future head coach?
Kelly in a questionnaire during his time in Philadelphia was asked which one of his players would mostly likely serve as a coach. His answer, of course, was Ryans, who has since received similar praise from Shanahan and Saleh. Both have said they expect Ryans to become a head coaching candidate soon.
Becoming a head coach is one of Ryans’ stated goals, though he didn’t put the cart in front of the horse during his interview for this story. “All that stuff, if it comes, it’ll come. But I’m just focused on being on being the best defensive coordinator I can be right now,” he said.
Earning his stripes to garner head-coaching consideration won’t be easy.
Ryans inherits a defense that will look considerably different than the second-ranked unit that helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl after the 2019 season.
Gone is defensive tackle DeForest Buckner who was traded to the Indianapolis Colts before last season. Star pass rusher Nick Bosa, who won defensive rookie of the year, is coming off an ACL tear last September, though he’s expected to be cleared during training camp.
Fellow defensive end Dee Ford’s status is unclear after missing 15 games in 2020 with a back injury. Future Hall of Fame cornerback Richard Sherman remains a free agent after anchoring a secondary that allowed the fewest passing yards per game since 2009 while earning second-team All-Pro recognition in 2019.
The good news for Ryans: He inherits a defense that ranked fifth in the NFL in yardage last season despite constant injuries and turnover. And with experienced players like defensive lineman Arik Armstead, safeties Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt, and resurgent cornerback Jason Verrett surrounding Warner, the defense isn’t due for a major overhaul. The thought inside the building is the return of Bosa and the improvement of second-year player Javon Kinlaw, the 2020 first-round pick replacing Buckner, could lead to a return to contention.
The Cover-3 scheme modernized by Seahawks coach Pete Carroll will largely remain in place. But under Ryans there’s expected to different looks from Saleh’s approach. The 49ers in 2019 ranked fourth in the NFL in blitz rate, 20.9 percent, according to Pro Football Reference, relying heavily on the four-man pass rush to pester quarterbacks into throwing into the maximum of seven defenders in coverage.
“You will see some wrinkles, you will see my brand of football on it,” Ryans said. “Our D-Line is going to attack. ... We’re going to let our D-Line just get off the ball and attack, and we’re going to clean up things behind them, but we will be a more, I feel like aggressive, attacking defense.”
A clear leader
Ryans retired from playing in 2015 after tearing both Achilles tendons (left in 2010, right in 2014). He spent a year working as a radio analyst covering Texans games but missed the competitive aspect of being part of a team.
“I really had that yearning and desire to get back with a team,” he said. “No matter if it was NFL or high school coaching, just wanted to be in involved with a team and be able to assist in any way I could.”
It led to a reunion as a quality control coach under Shanahan during his first 49ers season in 2017. Shanahan was a wide receivers coach with Houston on the same staff with Saleh, who was a quality control intern, when Ryans was drafted. McDaniel had the title of offensive assistant. It was clear to all three that Ryans would be a leader as soon as he was walked in the building.
“At every stage,” said McDaniel, “he was an extension of the coaching staff from the jump, which was super impressive. ... I think he has an unbelievable rapport with the players and really through this whole process, we saw him his first year as a position coach and just continue to grow and grow. So, I know the whole team was excited to have him as the coordinator for the defense.”
Ryans credits Saleh for his development as a coach. The two bonded both inside Texans headquarters and away from the football field. Ryans was a guest of Saleh’s for Thanksgiving dinner and the two would strengthen their relationship on the golf course, which continued when they both joined San Francisco.
But there was also a roadblock that nearly thwarted Ryans’ quick ascent up the coaching ranks. The 49ers early in the 2018 offseason tapped former linebacker Ken Norton Jr. to coach inside linebackers. Norton had the job for a week that winter before taking an offer to become the defensive coordinator for the rival Seattle Seahawks, leaving the opening that Ryans would fill and hold for three seasons before replacing Saleh as defensive coordinator.
Who knows what would have happened if Norton stayed, possibly preventing Ryans from his promotion that led to the coordinator job. But Ryans, a man of Christian faith, believes Norton leaving was part of the path laid out for him.
And if Ryans eventually becomes a head coach like many expect, Norton leaving for Seattle will become an even more notable pivot point in Ryans’ coaching career.
“I’m strong in my faith and I just truly believe that God has a way of working things out the way he wants them,” Ryans said. “For me, it’s not like I was kicking down a door to get a job or anything like that. I was just grinding, trying to figure out this coaching thing and be the best at it, and it happened that way. Kyle came to me, like, ‘Hey, you’re going to be the inside linebackers coach.’ I said, ‘Great, thank you for the opportunity. I’m grateful for it.’”
This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Here’s why expectations are sky-high for the 49ers’ ‘Mufasa,’ king of the defense."
