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The San Francisco 49ers finally know whether or not their promising young defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is leaving Santa Clara, California.
Ryans initially completed his first interview with the Vikings on January 23, the day the 49ers defeated the Green Bay Packers 13-10 in the Divisional Round. That performance, as well as the quality of the Niners’ defense as a whole down the stretch, deservedly earned the 37-year-old coach praise and consideration for open positions.
At around 9 PM ET on January 31, NFL Media Insider Tom Pelissero dropped an update that all but cleared the air on what’s coming next with the 49ers and Ryans.
“#49ers DC DeMeco Ryans declined a second interview with the #Vikings, per source, opting to further his development in San Francisco,” Pelissero Tweeted.
From the 49ers’ perspective, they have to be thrilled that their impressive young defensive coordinator has decided to stick around. Considering offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has had two interviews with the Miami Dolphins, the 49ers may still be losing a key member of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s staff.
Of course, there’s the added fact that Ryans has only been in the position for one year after former-DC Robert Saleh left the 49ers for the New York Jets head coaching job. Instead of having to employ a new DC for the second-straight year, the Niners defense will be working under someone they’re familiar with.
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49ers Defense Impresses in Playoffs
There’s no question that the 49ers defense is talented. DE Nick Bosa, LB Fred Warner, DB Jimmie Ward all can make plays, but when it comes to the playoffs, you have to put your stars in a position to succeed.
The numbers at PFR indicate Ryans did just that. In three road games (if you count the NFC Championship as a road game,) the 49ers gave up just 15.6 points per game and a high of 20 points (against the Rams.) In the playoffs, that level of consistency is impressive, sure, but it’s important to remember that the49ers’ opponents, the Dallas Cowboys (1st) and Green Bay Packers (10th) and Rams (8th) all ranked in the top 10 in points scored this season, and were the 1st, 2nd and 4th in the NFC.
And when you go from scoring to yardage, it looks equally impressive. In the regular season, the Cowboys (3rd) and Rams (4th) averaged 6.0 yards per play, while the Packers (8th) averaged 5.8 yards per play. In their respective playoff games against the 49ers: the Cowboys averaged 4.7 yards per play, the Packers averaged 5.4 yards per play, and the Rams averaged 5.3 yards per play.
The stats and tape look good for the former NFL linebacker. Upgrading this defense even further will be a goal this offseason, and keeping Ryans around to assist that is a big plus for San Francisco.
What Ryans Might Be Like as a Future HC
While it’s a win for the Niners that Ryans is the defensive coordinator for 2022, his current track suggests it won’t be long when he gets a head coaching job. On January 14, Ryans spoke to local media about a current coach he looks up to and hopes to be like when he takes that role.
“[Pittsburgh Steelers head coach] Mike Tomlin is definitely a guy I look up to as a coach,” Ryans said. “You talk about just the consistency that he’s had over the years, not to have a losing season, always in the playoffs. He is definitely a coach that I look up to and I want to mimic, to be able to be in that position. I want to mimic a coach like Mike Tomlin with the success that he’s had.”
Ryans never played under Tomlin in his playing career, but he did face off against the Steelers head coach a handful of times during his years with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles. He’s not that far removed from his playing days considering his last regular season appearance was in 2015, and he’s continued the wave of an up-and-coming young coaches.
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