The San Francisco 49ers acquired defensive end Charles Omenihu in a trade with the Houston Texans in November.
Two months later, the Texans season is over and the 49ers are set to face the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs this weekend.
That’s reason enough for Omenihu to feel happy for his new circumstances with the 49ers. However, there are a few more things that go into Omenihu’s happiness in the Bay Area.
Via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area, Omenihu praised his new surroundings after a few rough years for the Texans franchise.
“It’s not a circus show here,” Omenihu said. “You guys definitely have things down pat and you know what you want of the players and the coaches know the expectations. It’s very thought out and said. It’s been nothing but good.”
The Texans have had one issue after another in recent years. They’re on their third general manager since Rick Smith stepped away from the job for personal reasons. They will have a third coach in as many seasons after dumping David Culley after just one year. Jack Easterby has usurped a massive influence under chairman Cal McNair.
With the 49ers, the dynamic is much more coherent.
“A lot more structure,” Omenihu said. “The leadership between the coach and the GM, it doesn’t seem like it’s a power struggle. It’s very like they are on the same page. They have an understanding what they want. They make it very clear what they want from GM to head coach and head coach to the position coaches.”
Omenihu played his most snaps since joining the 49ers in the team’s win over the Dallas Cowboys last week. He recorded 1.5 sacks and had tackles with three quarterback hits and a forced fumble in helping the 49ers advance to face the Packers. Joining the 49ers has provided some needed rejuvenation.
“Definitely a breath of fresh air for sure,” Omenihu said of the 49ers. “This year has been a long year for me personally. My third year didn’t go, as far as early on, how I thought it would be, coming off my second year. A combination of what I was going through over there.
“So coming here was definitely a breath of fresh air. I love it, the organization has a lot of structure and it is not an ego driven, it’s not a power struggle either. It’s definitely good to experience that.”