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- DeMeco Ryans tore his right achilles tendon on Nov. 2.
- He is out for the rest of the 2014 NFL season.
- The injury occurred during Philly’s 31-21 win over Houston.
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans has been ruled out of the year after he tore his right Achilles tendon during the fourth quarter of his team’s 31-21 win over the Houston Texans on Nov. 2.
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans tore his right Achilles tendon on Sunday and has been ruled out for the rest of the 2014 NFL season with a torn right Achilles tendon.
According to Bo Wulf of the Eagles’ official website, Ryans suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of Philadelphia’s 31-21 win over the Houston Texans on Nov. 2:
“Early in the fourth quarter, with the Texans inside the red zone, defensive coordinator Bill Davis dialed up a blitz that created immediate pressure on Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Forced to release the ball, Fitzpatrick floated the ball in the direction of Ryans, the captain of the Eagles defense. The former Texan secured the interception and began to run with the ball, only to drop dramatically to the ground.
“The ball fell loose and was recovered by the Texans on the 7-yard line. More importantly, though, Ryans remained on the ground while cornerback Cary Williams frantically waived for the trainers. Moments later, as Ryans was surrounded by both teammates and former teammates, a cart drove onto the field to take the linebacker off the field.
“The crowd of Eagles fans and and Texans fans united in their support of Ryans, cheering the linebacker as he left the field. Members of the Texans offense consoled their former teammate with the entirety of the Eagles sideline ran onto the field to give Ryans their own sendoff.
“‘The way he exited the field, that’s DeMeco, man. That’s the most consistent guy. Every day he’s the same person and just shows you in adversity he’s the same person,’ said linebacker Mychal Kendricks. ‘You can tell he has an impression on everyone around him. It’s just the legacy he left behind here at Houston. To have guys come from the other sideline and show respect like that, it’s admirable.
“It was later announced that Ryans was officially out of the game with a right ankle injury. Following the game, the tenor of the victorious locker room was muted with with deference to Ryans.
“‘I mean it’s a big blow,’ said safety Malcolm Jenkins. ‘I think from a leadership standpoint, not only for the defense but for the team, he’s the heart and soul of this team and it’s tough to see that happen to him. But at the same time, our season doesn’t end with that and there are other guys who are going to have to step up and we’re ready to step up today and played well. So we’ll have to continue to lean on them and I think we’re confident in the guys we have. We’ll figure out what packages we’ll put in and move forward.
“‘I haven’t seen (a reaction to an injury like) that, but that tells you not only what he means not only to this team but to the other team, and those are guys that, you know, the amount of respect you have for a guy like DeMeco is really unmeasurable. I think that’s a good visual of it, the coaches, players, really just rallying around him trying to keep his spirits up. Just like the game doesn’t stop, the season won’t stop either.'”
Earl Wolff says he saw a few players crying on field when DeMeco Ryans went down. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/4Kcdjc9FR8— John Clark CSN (@JClarkCSN) November 2, 2014
CSN Philly’s Jeff Mosher confirms Ryans is out for the season:
“That’s the scenario the Eagles face as they head into the second half of their season after losing veteran inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans on Sunday to a torn right Achilles tendon, according to his agent, Ben Dogra.
“ProFootballTalk.com first reported the news.
“Ryans suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of the team’s 31-21 win over the Texans at NRG Stadium while intercepting Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. He left to a thunderous ovation from the home crowd after several players from both teams had encircled around his cart.
“‘He’s the true leader of our defense…He’s Mufasa. He’s our guy,’ Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. ‘When a warrior goes down, you pick up his shield and go play in honor of him, and I think that’s what our guys did.’
“This is the second Achilles tear in Ryan’s 11-year career. The first occurred in the left leg on the very same field Oct. 17, 2010, when Ryans played for the Texans, who had drafted him with the first pick of the second round in 2006.
“Ryans, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker who came to the Eagles in a trade before the 2011 season, had started all 40 games have played since acquiring him, playoffs included. Before he played his first game for the Eagles he had already become the unquestioned leader of the defense and a spokesperson for the locker room.
“Now the Eagles turn to Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho to replace his spot in the defense and look to third-year inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks to bring the blend of stability and playmaking Ryans brought.”
The 30-year-old Ryans has amassed 916 tackles, 13.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and five interceptions in 125 career regular-season games for the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles, per ESPN stats.
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