One overlooked aspect of the Cowboys’ most recent iteration of their rivalry with the 49ers was just how dominant the San Francisco defense had become. Much of that had been led by then coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who called defensive plays against the Cowboys in each of their two playoff losses to the 49ers.
Last year, Ryans left San Francisco for the head role with the Texans, the team that drafted him back in 2006 when he won Defensive Rookie of the Year. Ryans hired Matt Burke as his defensive coordinator and brought Cory Undlin from San Francisco to be his pass game coordinator, but Ryans still calls the plays. Those two have been instrumental in Ryans recreating the same lethal defense that got the best of Dallas in two straight playoff games.
Ryans did not invent the 49ers’ defensive scheme, though he did help perfect it. Ryans began his coaching career as a defensive quality control coach with the 49ers in Kyle Shanahan’s inaugural staff in 2017. A year later, he was promoted to linebackers coach, where he helped oversee the rapid development of both Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.
Ryans was there when Robert Saleh tweaked the scheme away from the traditional Legion of Boom style he had cut his teeth in and pivoted towards a mix of the Wide 9 defensive front schemes and the Vic Fangio style of two deep safety shells. And Ryans ensured the linebackers tied it all together. So when Saleh left for the Jets head coaching job, Ryans was the obvious choice to succeed him.
Under Ryans’ leadership, the 49ers defense took off in a way it hadn’t under Saleh and hasn’t returned to since Ryans left. His scheme is fundamentally identical to what Saleh and others have run in the past – primarily rush just four and play tight, constricted zone coverage that suffocates throwing lanes – but the way Ryans achieves it is what makes it so unique.
The use of Wide 9 alignments upfront wreaks havoc on offensive lines. In San Francisco, this approach had been instilled by defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, who had implemented the same approach with the Lions under both Jim Schwartz and Jim Caldwell to great success. Ryans then hired Burke in Houston precisely because of his familiarity with the scheme; Burke had coached alongside Kocurek in both Detroit and later with the Dolphins.
