Is Demeco pulling a Mario?

[CloakNNNdagger]

Hope it's just an Eagle "misunderstanding/misinterpretation!"

Ryans embracing fans, new home in Philly

DeMeco Ryans was walking around Philly soon after he was traded to the Eagles. He walked past the Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross House. He walked past the Constitution Center. He walked past a good chunk of our nation’s rich history.

After spending the last six years living in Houston, a sprawling southwest metropolis of highways, office buildings and shopping centers, it was an eye-opening stroll through one of the country’s most spectacular downtowns.

“It’s different,” Ryans said with a laugh. “In Houston, there’s nothing like that. We have the Astrodome.”

We have the Liberty Bell. They have the Astrodome. Which isn’t even used anymore.

“It’s still there,” Ryan said. “They say it would cost too much money to tear it down.”

Welcome to Philly. This is most certainly not Houston.

The Eagles acquired Ryans in a trade with the Texans on March 20, and Ryans has spent the last month not just getting used to his new coaches, teammates and playbook but acclimated to a new city 1,500 miles away.

Ryans, a two-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker during his six years with the Texans, is starting over again with the Eagles.

And starting over again in a new city that has embraced him more in a month than Houston did in half a decade.

“The first thing you notice is that everybody here knows their football and they love their football,” Ryans said. “Whether you’re at the rental car place or the front desk of the hotel, everybody, wherever you are, they let you know how passionate they are about football.

“Looking for places to live, people know everything about you, and they all have high expectations, and that’s a big difference from Houston. I love that about it. The city, the fans -- they expect the team to do well, and everybody’s behind the team.

“Houston, I guess because football left there when the Oilers moved to Tennessee, it’s a mixture of fans. A lot of Cowboys fans, some people are Texans fans, so there’s that mixture, but here it’s all Eagle all the time. There’s nothing else in this city, so that’s one unique thing about it. Everybody here is Eagles, 76ers, Flyers, Phillies --they’re all about their teams here in the city.

“The Texans started in 2002, so it’s still kind of new. The Eagles have been there forever. In Houston, there’s not a long line of tradition and history. Here, you have so much tradition and there’s a high expectation because the city has seen the team go to the Super Bowl, go to the playoffs year after year after year.

“In Houston, we had never even been to the playoffs until last year, and people got excited about it -- ‘They’re going to the playoffs for the first time.’ But that’s just where it starts, getting to the playoffs. Here, we expect to go to the playoffs and we expect to make a run at the Super Bowl every year. It’s a totally different feeling.”

So is strolling down the streets of Center City.

Houston doesn’t even have a Center City.

“I’m living in the city here, but in Houston, I stayed out in the suburbs,” he said. “There’s really no downtown in Houston, where you have people walking around like here. Everything in Houston is spread out and all over the place. It takes 20 minutes to get anywhere.”

Ryans made his NFL debut on opening day 2006 -- in a loss to the Eagles in Houston. No defensive player in franchise history has started more games for the Texans than Ryans. Only three players -- wide receiver Andre Johnson and offensive tackles Chester Pitts and Eric Winston -- have started more games as Texans. Only Johnson, a five-time pick, has been selected to more Pro Bowls than Ryans.

So he’s one of the most decorated players in Texans history. And it didn’t occur to him until fairly recently that there was a chance he wouldn’t finish his career in Houston.

“Every guy thinks when you come into the league that the team that drafts you, that’s the team you’re going to spend your whole career with,” he said. “It’s the only thing you know, the only team you know, the only organization you know. So you get comfortable and think, ‘Oh, this is the only place for me.’

“But you have it in the back of your mind, ‘Oh, I wonder what it’s like in other places? Does everyone do it the same way we do it, does everyone practice the same way,’ and you wonder, ‘I want to see how other people do it.’

“I thought I’d finish my career there, but things change all the time. I understand the business. Once you’ve been around for a while, you realize they’re always trying to replace you. And you see guys come and go. I saw a lot of guys come through that building, for a couple years, a couple months, a couple days. There was a lot of turnover, and you learn that nobody’s an exception. I’m not an exception.”

The Texans were happy to get rid of Ryans, who doesn’t really fit into the 3-4 front defensive coordinator Wade Phillips runs, and is signed through 2015 at $4.45 million this year, $6.6 million in 2013 and $6.8 million in 2014 and 2015.

As happy as the Texans were to unload Ryans, the Eagles were just as thrilled to acquire him. They see him as the forceful veteran middle linebacker they’ve lacked since Jeremiah Trotter’s last Pro Bowl season in 2004 and the type of defensive leader they’ve lacked since Brian Dawkins left for Denver after the 2008 season.

Ryans, now 100 percent recovered from a 2010 ruptured Achilles, said he had a blast last week, the first week Eagles players were allowed to participate in supervised workouts at the NovaCare Complex, and he can’t wait to move forward in OTA’s, minicamps, training camp and -- in just over four months -- his first real game as a Philadelphia Eagle.

“I feel like it’s been good for me, coming here,” he said. “Just my knowledge of the game, having spent time in a couple different systems and seeing a lot of ball over the years, this is good for me.

“Coming in and being able to work with some younger linebackers and teach them what I know, what to look for, what to expect. There’s some good young, athletic linebackers here who make a lot of plays, and I’m excited to work with them.”

Ryans is already a fan favorite, as the first legitimate, Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker the Eagles have acquired in a decade.

He’s already an Eagle. And he’s working hard on becoming a Philadelphian.

“It’s a big change, just getting adjusted to a new city, learning the city, learning your way around,” Ryan said.

“It’s different. I just look at it like I got drafted again. Took time for me to get established in Houston, learn everything about the city, so I look at me coming to Philadelphia the same way. I’m not going to feel comfortable overnight, but eventually it will be home to me.”

[Texan_Bill]

They've been talking about this on the radio and it's been blowing up on Twitter.

[MistaRed]

I personally don't see anything wrong with what he said. The things he said about the fan base and the city are accurate. Philly is widely known as one of the most diehard sports cities in the U.S.

[Playoffs]

Meh, no foul there.

Best of luck to Demeco. Hope he doesn't catch a bullet in a drive-by.

[HOU-TEX]

I don't really have a problem with what he said.

I hope he understands what these Philly fans are like when things aren't going so peachy. If not, he's in for a rude awakening.

[Honoring Earl 34]

He'll find out that their fans greatest strength is also their greatest weakness . He'll only be as good as his last play and when he slumps they'll turn on him .

[Ryan]

I don't see it that way at all. I didn't see him really trash Houston in any way. That's honestly the way it is.

[run-david-run]

Nothing wrong with what DeMeco said. The reporter's side jabs at Houston felt like someone talking about an ex-girlfriend though, what the hell was that?

I understand it's sports writing and there's more leeway than in most other forms to express some sort of opinion, but as someone who has a degree in journalism, I hardly consider this article worthy of that title.

[badboy]

Demeco who? Said it when he was drafted and he is no longer a Texan so who cares? Besides what did he say that is not true? Some folks complaining remind me of college or even high schoolers getting radical cause someone dissed their school. Houston is what it is love it or not.
Sure there are a few fans that are knowledgeable but many are weekend warriors and their money spends the same as mine.

I enjoyed your play while here Mr. Ryans.

[drs23]

I wholly agree with MistaRed & Playoffs, I don't see anything wrong or even derogatory towards Houston, it's all fact.

Then before I could pipe in with my HOU-TEX & HE34 make the point that I was gonna add. Though Meco doesn't screw up much, just wait till the fans start riding him like a 2 bit fair pony. I understand them folks up there can be the most brutal fans in the league. Let him miss a tackle that goes for a TD and he won't be able to hail a cab.

That said, I wish Meco the best.

[Hookem Horns]

Houston, I guess because football left there when the Oilers moved to Tennessee, it’s a mixture of fans. A lot of Cowboys fans, some people are Texans fans, so there’s that mixture, but here it’s all Eagle all the time.

Wrong. There are a ton of Cowboys fans in Philly. I have lived in both places and can safely say he is going to start missing Texas. That historic area is nice when you visit however once that wears off you have to start living there.

Also he would be better off in the "burbs" in Philly tool. Pennsylvania has some real nice / pretty areas and downtown Philly is not one of them.

[TimeKiller]

And starting over again in a new city that has embraced him more in a month than Houston did in half a decade.


^^^^^^^^^^^That isn't true at all. I didn't want to see Demeco go and I plan on following his career, wherever it may lead because I was a fan of him personally. But this piece is journalistic hit-and-run bull****. Writing a slam article on Philidelphia would be so easy JOHN ****ING MCCLAIN could do it.

[Big Lou]

Wasn't it Philly where they threw beer bottles at Santa. So they love football but hate Santa, sounds like a great place to live.

I think most of what Meco said is fairly factual with an ever so slight tinge of animosity. We traded the guy, he's entitled to be a little upset. However he's extremely smart and knows that this is a business.

I wish him the best, and good luck. Good luck in Philly as well, they may have a lot of American history but its a Major Northeastern Cluster F City. I'd rather drive 20 minutes to get everywhere rather than live in a Brwonstone with no yard and 20 neighbors seperated by 6" of framing and drywall.

[Rey]

I don't have a problem with what he said, but I think his curosity will be quenched as far as seeing what other cities are like.

I doubt he'll finish his career in Philly either.

[Carr Bombed]

Originally Posted by MistaRed

I personally don't see anything wrong with what he said. The things he said about the fan base and the city are accurate. Philly is widely known as one of the most diehard sports cities in the U.S.

The things he said aren't accurate at all. Don't confuse whiny obnoxious sports fan with "knowledgable" sports fan... which is exactly what DeMeco has done. But, I get it.. they're kissing his ass right now and are making him feel like the prettiest girl in the room after we essentially dumped his ass for a younger model. Sour grapes.

Oh and DeMeco is completely off his rocker if he really thinks there are only Eagles fans there... been there and saw just as much black n gold as I did eagles green.. saw way more black n gold than I see Cowboy jerseys here.

[steelbtexan]

Ryans is right, a good number of fans in Houston are good with just making the playoffs. That's not good enough for Philly fans. I wish Texans fans held management to the same level of expectations that Philly fans do. I mean 9-7 was trumpeted as some sort of accomplihment by BoB/Rick/Gary. That would be considered a disappointment in Philly.

As far as living in Philthy-delphia good luck with that DeMeco. Hope you survive the random drive-bys,Cold weather/run down city experience.

[TEXANRED]

Everything DeMeco said was fact.

[nero THE zero]

I agree with the consensus, everything he said about Houston is entirely accurate.

The unwarranted and untrue criticisms come from the reporter.

[JamesBill]

if he chose to live outside the loop that's his fault, not Houston's.


since the eagles didn't even make the playoffs, any talk on the football side is crazy

[Hookem Horns]

Originally Posted by Carr Bombed

Oh and DeMeco is completely off his rocker if he really thinks there are only Eagles fans there... been there and saw just as much black n gold as I did eagles green.. saw way more black n gold than I see Cowboy jerseys here.

That wasn't the case when I was there mid 80's through mid 90's. Probably because the Steelers weren't that good during those years. I was an outspoken Oilers fan and rarely encountered Steelers fans.