Stay on top of the latest Houston Texans news by adding https://www.houstontexans.com to your .
When the Houston Texans face the Tennessee Titans in Week 5, Head Coach DeMeco Ryans will be standing across the field from one of the most important people in his coaching career: Titans Head Coach Robert Saleh.
"It's fun going up against a very close friend in Robert Saleh," Ryans said Wednesday. "Saleh means a lot to me and when it comes to coaching and why I'm coaching, why I was able to progress in coaching, I think very quickly was mainly due to Robert Saleh and the things that he taught me."
How Robert Saleh shaped DeMeco Ryans' coaching career
Ryans credited Saleh's work as a defensive coordinator in San Francisco for laying the foundation of his own approach.
"Seeing him work as a defensive coordinator, seeing the preparation, the detail, how involved he was in every single aspect of coaching that entire defense and allowing us to have some great defensive success in San Francisco. It all started with him."
The relationship dates back to 2006 and reaches well beyond the sideline.
"The fine line is this, with me and Saleh, we go back to 2006," Ryans said. "It's beyond football, our families are close, it's beyond football. It's just talk about man to man, a true friend."
A trusted voice for a head coach
Ryans said Saleh has been a sounding board since he took over as a head coach.
"I've leaned on him a lot being in the head coaching seat, he was there before me," Ryans said. "When I had tough questions to ask someone, that's the guy I would go to and ask questions on how to structure things."
He also spoke about what has always set Saleh apart.
"I always looked up to Saleh because he was always one of the brightest guys in the room, any room I was in, he was always that guy. He always had a lot of great ideas, very innovative coach, not always stuck to how it's always been done."
Respect on both sides heading into Sunday
QB C.J. Stroud echoed his head coach's respect for Saleh's defensive mind.
"He's one of the best defensive coordinators/head coaches I've played against," Stroud said. "He makes you play discipline. He makes you snap the ball every time and you have to know what you're doing, or you make a mistake and they make you pay."
For Ryans, the friendship only raises the stakes.
"You know he's going to have his guys fired up, ready to play," Ryans said. "I know he's bringing his best, we have to bring our best. It's always going to be a great matchup. He knows what we do. We have to know what he does defensively. May the best man win."
