San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans spoke with reporters after training camp practice today. Here is everything he had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
How has CB Emmanuel Moseley looked since coming back from the COVID List?
"E-Man has looked pretty good. Coming back he's done a great job. He's hopped back in, he made a play yesterday. You just see where he fits. He's a great player for us. He's done a great job and I just loved the way he came out, had great energy, just showed his love for football, showed it's all about having fun and making plays. So I love the energy that he brought to us and happy to have E-Man back. His presence is felt, happy to see him back out there."
How much do you think CB Jason Verrett's confidence has grown just given that he's put together a pretty long stretch now of being healthy and being able to stack some good practices?
"Yeah, J.V. has done a great job of is being consistent. That's one thing I always highlight to the guys. Mainly every, it feels like every meeting I have with the defensive group, I'm highlighting J.V. and just showing his consistency and just showing the young guys how it looks to be a true pro and J.V. is that example for the guys in our room. And he brings it every day. He competes every day and his work ethic is just unmatched. So, just happy to have him, happy to have him in a really good place where he's not worried about the history of the injuries or anything like that. He's playing confident, he's playing fast, he's playing physical and it's exactly what I like to see."
The chemistry between him, DB Jimmie Ward and CB K'Waun Williams seems to be very tight. Is that something that you expect from them? Is that something that really stands out?
"Yeah, it does. It does stand out the way those guys are. You can tell they're tight on the field. So you can tell that just translates off the field. Those guys are always talking. They're always hanging out together. So you can tell that comradery off the field. It just pours over onto the field and allows them, they know what to expect from each other. They have ease of communication between each other. So when they get in situations where they have to communicate it's easy, translates quickly and those guys are able to play faster just because of their tightness and their bond."
Does it seem like they communicate without words out there on the field?
"Yeah. You can tell that, right? They do communicate without words. And that's when you know you've been playing with someone for a few years where sometimes words don't need to be said, it's just a look or a hand signal here or there. And they know exactly what each other are thinking and they can go and perform it very quickly."
What did you think of the energy level, given 19,000 inside Levi's, did you feel a pickup of mood there?
"Yeah, it was awesome. Having the fans back out you just see this is what sports is all about, right? It was the energy that the fans bring to the game. That's what it's all about. And I felt that energy today from all the fans, we're thankful for all the fans that took time today to come out and support our guys. Very thankful for the enthusiasm and energy that they showed today. It uplifts everyone. So I'm happy to have the fans back. It's just fun times, much more fun when the fans are in."
A lot of move the ball activity. What'd you think your defense did basically without your starting defensive line out there?
"Yeah, I think the move the ball periods, it was good, it was much needed. And a lot of times you're going through scripted periods and guys get honed in on just those particular plays to stop them. But it's really good to get to move the ball. It's kind of to simulate real football as much as possible without taking guys to the ground. So, much needed for the defense. I thought we came out we did some good things, did some things not so well. There's some things always to improve on and get better at. So I think it was just a good start for us today."
Were you surprised at all by DL Ryan Yarbrough? It felt like today, like without DT Javon Kinlaw, a lot of these guys out there, he's got a good run and looked like he was kind of everywhere?
"Yarbrough is a guy who came in late during training camp and had a late start to training camp, but he stepped in and he's done really well. The guy, he never stops. That's one thing I like about Yarbrough, he never stops. Always good energy, always going, great motor, great effort. And he's always around the ball making plays. So Yarborough has a good job for us."
Do you see him in sort of that DL Arik Armstead like three, five sort of role?
"He's been all around the D-Line really with all the guys that are in and out. Yarbrough has done a good job of just moving to end, moving inside. He can do a little bit of both. So it's just good to have a rotational guy out there who can help us along the line."
It seemed like a busy day for DB Deommodore Lenoir. He was with the second team and then he got some first team reps do. What goes into deciding whether Lenoir is up with the twos or CB Ambry Thomas? I mean, what have you seen from those two guys?
"Yeah, a lot of that goes into who's available throughout practice. So I don't put much rank into training camp because we're always rolling and rotating guys, whether it's with the ones, twos or threes, it's really, to me, it's not a big deal. You just want to go out, see a guy perform the technique that we're asking them to do and do it at a consistent level. So whether you're with the ones, twos or threes, it doesn't matter. Just how are you performing each and every day? So Lenoir is doing a good job. He's getting better. He's getting better. Ambry is getting better and they still have to keep working just like everyone else to pick up the consistency."
Can you talk about just the move the ball period for how it helps the defense? How does it help you as a first-time play caller?
"Yeah, it helps a lot. Just get into the flow of calling the game. Just thinking, it's a chess match that is going on. What am I thinking that [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] is running? How are we going to defend it and making sure our guys are in something that they're comfortable with and they can go out and play at a high level. So it was really good for me as a new play caller to just go through that process as many times as I can before the regular season starts."
I believe in the spring, you touched on the impact of linebackers coach Johnny Holland on you. Can you touch on some specific ways he's influenced you?
"Yeah. I think you know, with Johnny Holland, Johnny was my coach coming into the NFL, my rookie year. And that's just the thing that always stuck out with John is he never just felt like just coach. Right? And that's something as a coach that I try to pour into guys. You want to build that relationship with guys. Johnny coached me for five years. So whether it was Thanksgiving dinners, being there, it always felt like family with Johnny and never like a coach-player relationship. So he showed me from that standpoint, how to just interact. And now me being a coach, how do you interact with players? Like it's more than about just football. It's about life lessons. Johnny, I mean, I can go down and, he taught me about money, taught me about relationships. He just taught me about a lot of things where he was kind of like that father figure for me coming into the NFL. Johnny has been awesome. Great to have him. Great to work with him again. So I was thankful for Johnny."
A strong couple of days for DL Arden Key the last few days. What are you seeing from him early on here?
"Yeah. Arden, he shows up every day. Arden shows up every day around the quarterback a lot. So Arden is a guy who does a good job on the edge when it comes to rushing the passer. As far as being able to bend and close to the quarterback, he does a really good job of that. And he's been more consistent. He's doing a really good job against the run as well, being physical and stout versus the run, which we ask all our guys to do. So I'm pleased with where Arden is now and he'll continue to develop and get better as he continues to just do our technique over and over again."
You wouldn't say there's a lack of talent. He had really big moments in college and all that stuff, but it hasn't really happened with the Raiders. Do you sit down with him specifically, how does that happen? Trying to figure out where are you with the system? Are you doing something wrong? Like how do we get you to realize whatever your potential is? I mean, you have those conversations with a guy like that, right?
"For sure. Yeah. We had those conversations with him just about, a lot of times people get focused on the past and what happened in the past. And I always try to tell players, whether it's Arden or anyone, we can't worry about the past. Like what do you want your career to look like? And where do you want to move forward? What's your why? Why are you pushing forward? What does it mean to you, right? Who are you playing for? What are you playing for? And if we can connect on those things, and I know you have in your heart, you love football and you want to go out and perform your best, like, forget what happened in the past. Now let's move forward and let's make the best of your career starting now. So I think Arden has a good chance to do that here."
DL Dee Ford said he'll turn the corner when he gets sacks. What have you seen from him coming back from his injury in team drills now?
"Yeah, first and foremost it's good to see Dee back out there. I just understand how it is going through injuries and being, just feel like an outcast almost, whereas always in the training room, pushing forward. So first and foremost, it's an accomplishment just for him just to be back out there. And he's done a good job with the reps that he's been given. He's done a good job. He's moving forward, progressing every day. So just excited for him and where he can go. Just taking it one day at a time with him, but so far so good. He's looked really well."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he's starting to look like what he's seen from in the past. So a little excited about that?
"For sure. You see those glimpses when he does take a few reps, you see those glimpses of Dee, just his explosiveness, his speed off of the ball. You see those glimpses. Reminds you of where he was a couple of years ago. So you get excited when you see that from him. I'm happy for the guy to just battle through all of that and be putting himself in position, right, to keep moving forward."
Is LB Marcell Harris definitely a linebacker now and when it comes time to attempt to cut down the rosters is his ability to play safety going to factor into that?
"Yeah, Marcell has done a good job at linebacker. He's still learning. He's done a good job the past couple of days, seeing him make some plays. Some things we ask our linebacker to do, Marcell is picking up on it really well. So I'm happy with where he is and he's just progressing forward. The thing I like about Marcell is, you say linebacker, Marcell is a Playmaker and he shows up a lot more when he's close to the line of scrimmage. So I just love his speed, his physicality, his instincts. For him, being closer to the ball, Marcell is going to, I think he has it in him to go out and be a really good player. It's just for him, just getting as many reps as possible for him to just feel more comfortable there."