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DeMeco Ryans (born July 28, 1984 in Bessemer, Alabama) is an American football linebacker in the NFL for the Houston Texans.
[edit] Early years
Ryans attended Jess Lanier High School in Bessemer, Alabama, where he was coached by Willie T. Ford.
[edit] College career
Ryans played outside linebacker at the University of Alabama. Ryans started out his career by earning a role on special teams and back up linebacker in his first season. By making great improvements every year in his college career, DeMeco went on to become the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year for his performance in 2005. Later on, Ryans attributed much of his college success to his defensive coordinator at Alabama, Joe Kines. He was named the 2006 Cotton Bowl defensive MVP in their 13-10 win over Texas Tech. DeMeco also received the Lott Trophy for his combination of athletic excellence and off-the-field achievements.
[edit] NFL career
[edit] 2006 NFL Draft
Ryans was selected with the first pick of the 2nd round (33rd overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Texans.
(* represents NFL Combine)
[edit] Houston Texans
Ryans began his NFL career in 2006 with the Houston Texans. Though he had been an outside linebacker in college, he earned the starting middle linebacker position due to his excellent performance in the preseason. In his first game he recorded a league-high 12 solo tackles. Ryans had an overwhelming impact as a rookie linebacker for the Texans, leading the team in tackles in the first half of the 2006 season. Many Texans fans have called him “D-Wreck” for his toughness and hard hits; another popular nickname is D-ROY, intended to promote Ryans for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
On January 3, 2007, Ryans was awarded the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award after leading the league with 155 total tackles, 31 more tackles than the next rookie (Detroit Lions linebacker Ernie Sims). He received 36 of 50 votes by a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Chicago Bears defensive end Mark Anderson, who was Ryan's teammate at Alabama, finished second with five votes. On December 18, 2007 DeMeco Ryans was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time. [2] Ryans will wear the Texans' defensive transmitter to relay plays from the sideline into the huddle. This will mean he will barely get off the field and will probably be an every down player. [3]
[edit] Pro Career Statistics (Defense)
| Year |
Team |
G |
TTkl |
Ast |
Sacks |
Int |
Yds |
Avg |
Lg |
TD |
Pass Def |
FF |
FR |
| 2006 |
Houston Texans |
16 |
156 |
30 |
3.5 |
1 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
0 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
| 2007 |
Houston Texans |
16 |
127 |
29 |
2.0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
| Total |
|
32 |
283 |
59 |
5.5 |
2 |
17 |
8.5 |
16 |
1 |
14 |
2 |
1 |
[edit] Awards and Honors
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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