HOUSTON (AP) — DeMeco Ryans vividly remembers a moment years ago while working as an assistant for coach Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco when he sat him down in his office and told him he believed he could be an NFL head coach one day.
“I was kind of shocked by it because no one had ever said that to me before,” Ryans recalled this week.
Ryans worked under Shanahan from 2017-22 before his prediction came true and Ryans was hired as the Houston Texans coach in 2023. And on Sunday, Ryans will face his former boss for the first time when the 49ers (5-2) visit the Texans (2-4).
Shanahan didn’t recall that exact conversation but said he knew Ryans was special from the moment he met him when he was a rookie linebacker with the Texans in 2006 when Shanahan was an assistant on the team.
“Just the way he has carried himself his whole career, he’s smart, knows football, works so hard and how consistent he is as a human,” Shanahan said. “Always knew how good of a coach he’d be if he wanted to do it. I probably was saying that strong to him because I didn’t want him to leave right away and tell him like: ‘dude, don’t just go jump at a job. Like, you’re going to be a head coach. Make sure you get the right one and stuff.’”
Ryans said Shanahan’s guidance and confidence in him are a big reason why he’s where he is today.
“What he’s taught me throughout my career, I can’t thank him enough for that and just believing in me,” Ryans said. “When nobody else knew about me and coaching, Kyle was the guy who believed in me. And it just shows that when you speak life into people, your words mean a lot. And what he said to me, to see it come true now, it means a lot to me.”
This week Ryans and the Texans will try to slow down Christian McCaffrey after he ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns and added 72 yards receiving for his first 200-yard game since 2019 to help the 49ers over the Falcons on Sunday.
“Christian McCaffrey is by far one of the best players in the NFL,” Ryans said. “He can line up at receiver. He can line up all over the place. So, the game plan is we have to have eyes for Christian McCaffrey, knowing that he’s going get the bulk of the touches because he’s their top playmaker.”
Last week was a breakthrough game for McCaffrey, who averaged only 3.1 yards per carry in the first six games this season. Seven of his 24 carries were for at least 10 yards after he had only six through the first six weeks. He’s looking to carry that over to the rest of the season.
“Everybody played a big role in that game, but I think, when it comes to establishing your identity, you have to do that every week,” McCaffrey said. “That’s not something where you just have it, and now you’re good to go for the rest of the year.”
Defensive end Will Anderson Jr. is off to another strong start this season and his play is a big reason why the Texans rank first in the NFL in points allowed and are in the top 10 in most other defensive categories. The third-year player, who won AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, had five tackles and a strip-sack that he pounced on for a touchdown in Monday's loss to the Seahawks.
Ryans said it’s a joy to watch how Anderson goes about his business every day.
“I don’t see anyone working as hard as this guy,” Ryans said. “I don’t see anyone who it means so much to him to see not only himself succeed, but to see our team succeed.”
Anderson said his high school coach taught him to approach every day with the same intensity as game day and it stuck.
“I’m really big on preparation,” he said. “I have to see it during the week. I have to practice it the right way during the week in order for me to he confident and prepared on Sunday. So that’s where that enthusiasm comes from.”
The Niners were already struggling to generate a consistent pass rush after Nick Bosa went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 3. Now they have to do it without Bryce Huff, who leads the team with four sacks. The remainder of players on the active roster have combined for only three sacks this season, putting pressure on rookie Mykel Williams to produce and coordinator Robert Saleh to scheme up some pressure.
“You’ve got to get creative at times and you need other guys to go,” Shanahan said. “It has to do with a lot of stuff. Bryce is definitely our guy who can win the fastest right now. I do think other guys can do it and it doesn’t just go to rush and blitzes. It also goes to coverage. ... But it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up. We’ve had that every week at a number of positions and those guys have continued to do it.”
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.
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