As fate and history would have it, DeMeco Ryans was the last coach to face -- and defeat -- Mike Tomlin as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach.
Not a full 24 hours after Ryans' Houston Texans bested Tomlin's Steelers, 30-6, the legendary Pittsburgh coach stepped down from his position after 19 seasons.
Tomlin's departure left Ryans -- and much of the NFL world -- stunned.
"I saw the news before I stepped in here and I was kind of shocked by the news," Ryans said Tuesday, via team transcript.
While the Texans coach was taken aback by the news, he was also pleased to see the 53-year-old Tomlin was able to do things his way.
"You see a guy who's had a ton of success and done it at the highest level for 19 seasons not to have a losing record," Ryans said. "Part of me is happy that he was able to step away on his own terms. It's a tough job, it's one of the toughest jobs."
In taking on one of the toughest jobs, Tomlin made history, leading the Steelers to 19 straight non-losing seasons in his tenure. It's a record for the start of a head coach's career.
Ryans, 41, has a very long way to go to achieve comparable success to Tomlin, but he's off to a stellar start, which is similar to Tomlin's first years in Pittsburgh.
Tomlin took over for Hall of Famer Bill Cowher ahead of the 2007 season, coaching the Steelers to a division title and playoff berth. A year later, another division crown followed ahead of a Super Bowl victory.
Though still chasing a Super Bowl, Ryans coached Houston to back-to-back AFC South titles in his first two years and now a third straight playoff berth.
Like Tomlin, Ryans' success has been founded in defensive excellence.
"Everybody has all the answers, but no one truly knows all the work, all the sacrifice that goes in, all of the sleepless nights, all of the long hours you put in, all of the time away from family. It's a lot that goes into it and everybody just jumps on, 'This guy should be fired. He should be fired. Get him out, get him out,'" Ryans said. "I think the Steelers were the beneficiary of having a really great coach for 19 years and you see that sustained success when you're able to stick with a guy, you truly believe in a guy that's a great leader of an organization.
"He's done it at a high level, won the Super Bowl, done it with the utmost class and respect. There's not another coach that I respect more than Mike Tomlin. He's always done it the right way. I'm thankful that he was able to step down on his terms."
So far, Ryans has led the Texans on his terms.
Following Monday's win, Ryans and Houston are heading to Foxborough to face the host New England Patriots in a third straight Divisional Round appearance.
Should the Texans prevail Sunday, they'll book the franchise's first-ever trip to an AFC Championship Game. Much like Tomlin was, Ryans could provide further example that he's, indeed, a "great leader of an organization."
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