DeMeco Ryans fielded an interesting query in his Wednesday media session.
The Houston Texans coach was asked on how he knew the foundation is set on defense. It is a fair question given Ryans was a successful defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers the past two seasons, and all they have done is qualify for the NFC Championship Game each time.
“We’re still doing our processes,” Ryans said. “It’s a working process.”
Given the Texans have a preseason finale with the New Orleans Saints and a couple weeks of practice before their Sept. 10 opener with the Baltimore Ravens, Houston is running out of time to get the process perfected.
Considering the Texans looked like their 2022 selves in the NRG Stadium opener with 205 rushing yards surrendered in the 28-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the process seems behind schedule.
For Ryans, it seems the assembly of a culture that executes soundly and sticks to the plan is more important than the typical win-loss results fans prefer to see.
Said Ryans: “You start over, building a new team, making sure we implement how our fundamentals, our techniques and how we coach things — there’s a process that goes along with that. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
While H-Town made, the 39-year-old grew up as a coach under Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers. From 2017-18 — Ryans serving as defensive quality control the first year and inside linebackers coach the next — San Francisco posted records of 6-10 and 4-12. Both teams had records of 2-10 at each point in their seasons.
It could get that bad for the Texans in 2023, especially if rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is getting on-the-job training.
With Ryans there is a spirit of optimism that follows, and if there is any to be found ahead of the travails the Texans face, it is that their coach has gone this path before and won’t be surprised.
“We’re still on that process and one thing about coaching is you’ve got to love the process and I love it,” said Ryans. “I love seeing guys from step one, seeing them improve — that’s the beauty of coaching. That’s why I thrive.”
