There's no denying the impact former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans had on the organization before departing this offseason to become the Houston Texans' new coach.
But his successor Steve Wilks has gotten off to a stellar start with the NFL's top-ranked defense.
One of the 49ers' defensive stars, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, said Wilks isn't trying to make significant changes or be anyone but himself in his new role, and the team has responded in kind.
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"It's not like he wants to change a lot of things," Greenlaw told KNBR's "Papa & Lund" on Thursday. "He loves the way that we play, the will of the way that we play and the scheme that we had last year. I think it's going to be awesome for him to just mix his own [style] in there and make us more aggressive in different situations, and that's just going to be fun to add to the pot.
"So, it's been a great change so far, as far as him just being himself, being the great leader that he is. It's going to be fun to work with him."
Greenlaw noted "Of course" the 49ers would miss Ryans, who brought his own special touch to the sideline as a former player-turned-coach. And Wilks, who previously served as the Carolina Panthers' interim coach last season before joining San Francisco, is looking forward to building upon that success.
"You have to embrace the success they’ve had here,” Wilks told reporters earlier this month. “I think there’s a foundation we all agreed we want to keep. I think there’s an opportunity as we go through the process -- which we already have -- to tweak things a little bit.
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“I still think there’s room for improvement. If you talk to the players, they will tell you the same. When it’s not broke, you don’t really want to fix it.”
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Greenlaw, who currently is recovering from offseason thumb surgery, has played for three DCs -- Wilks, Ryans and Robert Saleh -- since he was drafted by the 49ers in 2019.
And after the 49ers' defense showed zero signs of regression going from Saleh to Ryans, Greenlaw certainly is hoping for -- and expecting -- the same from Ryans to Wilks.