Houston Texans officially introduce DeMeco Ryans as head coach

The DeMeco Ryans era in Houston is already being met with terrific excitement.

On Thursday, the Houston Texans introduced their new head coach DeMeco Ryans at NRG Stadium.

Ryans, 38, becomes the Texans sixth head coach after spending six years coaching with the San Francisco 49ers, the past two seasons as their defensive coordinator. Ryans has generated a lot of excitement from former Texans teammates and current players.

That excitement has also reinvigorated a fan base that has had little to cheer about for the past three seasons; it also permeated the front office and ownership.

Texans CEO Cal McNair opened the press conference praising Ryans for his leadership, football knowledge, and success in San Francisco.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio admired Ryans for his toughness, positive mindset, and charisma. Caserio described Ryans as the “right fit” and “one of our own” and spoke of his own excitement to partner with Ryans with the Texans.

Ryans’ energy and positivity radiate from him, and his presence is a sharp contrast to his most recent predecessors in Lovie Smith, David Culley, and Bill O’Brien. Former teammates, including Andre Johnson and Brian Cushing, were in attendance to see Ryans get introduced to the media.

Ryans shared his excitement for building a winning program with a young team with draft capital, wanting to build a team that Houston can be proud of. He stated he and Caserio would work together to build the team.

The new coach expressed he wants to bring in players with a “special work ethic and relentless mindset” and that he wants his team to play fast, physical, tough, and smart.

Ryans is renowned for his ability to coach players up and get the most out of them, as he did in San Francisco, where he made Pro Bowl-caliber players of mid-round picks like Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Ryans specifically mentioned being excited about working with talented young players Derek Stingley Jr., Jalen Pitre, and Christian Harris.

Ryans admitted to having good interviews with the Denver Broncos but said Houston is where he always wanted to be, and it was a “no-brainer” decision to join the Texans.

He said he takes his role seriously as one of only 32 head coaches in the NFL, and that it is an honor to be chosen to lead the organization.

Ryans discussed things he learned from past coaches, such as building a winning culture and how to be a professional from Gary Kubiak, being a great teacher from Andy Reid, and being a motivator and innovator from Chip Kelly.

Nick Caserio gave a timeline of how things came together with Ryans, sharing that they had a zoom meeting with him the Friday before the Niners played the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round. Caserio expressed how impressed he was with Ryans, with DeMeco’s energy and sincerity. Caserio relayed that Ryans told him, “I want to come home. This is my dream job. Let’s make it happen.” However, the team had to wait because the Niners won that game against Dallas, and they could not speak to him again until after the NFC Championship Game, a week later.

Caserio explained that “everything we felt was important for the job they had in DeMeco Ryans.” Caserio relayed these sentiments to Cal McNair, who agreed with him.

McNair described his familiarity with Ryans, a former 33rd overall pick by the Texans in 2006. He further detailed how at Alabama, Ryans was a team captain and was called “coach” by his teammates, and that he was also a team captain with the Texans, where his teammates referred to him as “Cap.”

Ryans expressed why this was his dream job, explaining that former players don’t often get to show they can be more than just former players. Becoming the head coach of the team that drafted him after six seasons in coaching, being home in Houston, and getting to work with Nick and Cal all made this the perfect scenario for Ryans.

Ryans plans to hire a diverse staff, not just diverse in background but diverse in experience. He said he is seeking coaches who are great teachers with positive energy, can connect with players, and are committed to working together. He said he had not decided if he will call the defensive plays.

Ryans stated the outpouring of support and positivity by so many people and former teammates has been incredible, and that the overwhelming theme of the messages he has received is how people are proud of him. That sentiment has stuck with him the most, and he wants to build a team that will make Houston proud.