Cleveland Browns players and coaches celebrate, rear, as San Francisco 49ers place kicker Jake Moody (4) and Mitch Wishnowsky react after Moody missed a field goal during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The San Francisco 49ers announced that they had promoted the following players to the active roster from the team’s practice squad (standard altitudes).
Indianapolis — DeMeco Ryans may no longer be a member of the 49ers organization, but the Houston Texans’ head coach still felt the sorrow of his old team’s Super Bowl LVIII loss.
The former 49ers defensive coordinator spoke with NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, detailing his feelings as he witnessed the heartbreaking outcome.
“I literally fell on the floor when [The Kansas City Chiefs] scored that touchdown at the end of the game,” Ryans stated in a statement. “I was in it.” Of course, I felt as if I was still present, a part of it.
Ryans began his coaching career with the 49ers in 2017 as a defensive quality control coach, and he continued with the team as linebackers coach from 2018 to 2020. In 2021, he was named defensive coordinator, a job he held until being hired as the Texans’ head coach in 2023.
Ryans has always been grateful for his time with Kyle Shanahan, citing how well the 49ers’ head coach prepared him to be an NFL head coach.
“I wanted so badly to see Kyle and those guys come away with a Super Bowl win, because I know the work that Kyle puts in and he deserves it,” Ryans said in a statement. “It was unfortunate to see them come up short and it really hurt me like I was there and still a part of it.”
Ryan and his wife welcomed a baby girl into their family on the Saturday before the Super Bowl, but he was still able to watch the game with his elder children at home the following day. Because the Ryans were watching the Nickelodeon coverage, the former linebacker was unable to witness Dre Greenlaw’s injuries live.
Greenlaw’s Achilles injury was a crushing blow for his former coach. Nonetheless, Ryans believed the 49ers had a chance to win the game and never gave up hope until the end.
“I was sitting on the couch watching it and it was a heartbreaker,” Ryans was quoted as saying. “I literally fell to the floor and was distraught. I thought they played an excellent game against the league’s finest QB. And it was regrettable that they lost that way.”
With a young and promising Texans team led by NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, Ryans might face his former team in a Super Bowl in the not-too-distant future.
