The Eagles needed a MLB. They didn’t jump out and chase Curtis Lofton, Stephen Tulloch, and David Hawthorne. so some people panicked. They just knew the Eagles were once again going to throw together some crappy solution in the form of a less than desirable player. Not this time, Betty. The Eagles traded for DeMeco Ryans, the greatest LB in the history of the Houston Texans. He’s half legend, half flesh. Why I once saw him knock down 5 O-linemen at once and then drop kick a RB for a 62-yard FG to win the game. True story. Saw it with my own two eyes. Pretty sure I was sober, too.

Isn’t it fun to have a stud MLB?

Ryans is exactly what the Eagles needed. He isn’t a dynamic athlete. He isn’t an amazing playmaker. He is a smart, instinctive, tough, physical tackling machine. He is a great leader. Ryans immediately becomes the leader of the defense.

I love this move on a lot of different levels. First, it gives the team its first stud MLB since Stewart Bradley in 2008 and really its first stud veteran MLB since Trot in 2005. Ryans helps the team out by just being “The Man in the Middle”. He will know where to get everyone lined up. He will know what offenses are doing. He can run the defensive huddle. He can calm teammates down. He can fire them up. Ryans has that presence about him that only confident veterans have. You’re not going to fluster this guy with a bad play. He’ll focus on the next snap and be ready to play. Jamar Chaney was erratic. When he screwed up, things had a tendency to snowball.

Ryans also brings a physical presence to the middle of the field. The area between the hashmarks at The Linc just got a new landlord. And the rent is paid in flesh. Ryans hits everyone and everything. Receivers who cross the middle best look out. Ryans will floor guys inside of 5 yards, whether they have the ball or not. I watched him knock down several Saints on underneath routes. Ryans will stuff FBs that try to block him on iso runs. Ryans is a good hitter and forceful tackler. He can really pop you. And he will take on OL. No LB likes to battle the big uglies, but Ryans will do it. He’s got the size and strength to win his share of battles.

Ryans is smart. Chaney is more physically gifted than Ryans, but Jamar made mental mistakes at an alarming rate. He got in the wrong gap. He overran plays. He fell for fakes and was slow to recover. I love watching Ryans play. At the snap he doesn’t go firing up the field. He reads the play and then moves to the ball. If he has a clear path, Ryans will burst upfield and unload on someone. If he has to get through trash, Ryans can do that. You don’t post his kind of tackle totals without being able to find the ball.

Watch Ryans on a pass play. He’s not all that fast, but he is a solid pass defender because of his brains and instincts. He gets in the right position and keeps his eyes active. Ryans has good feet and is quick. He’s good on short routes in the middle of the field or in the flat. He’s not a guy you want covering a TE 25 yards downfield, but if he can keep things in front of him, Ryans will do just fine.

I love the move from the Eagles perspective. They traded an early 4th round pick (and swap of 3rd rounders, dropping from 77 to 89). This isn’t a steep price, but also isn’t a throwaway deal. The Eagles intend on keeping Ryans at MLB for the next few years. You don’t trade a pick that high to rent a player. Also, Ryans isn’t cheap. He’s due $5.9M this year. That goes up to $6M next year. The Eagles weren’t looking for a cheap solution at MLB. They were looking for the right solution.

Not everyone is thrilled with the move. Some question why the Texans would make such a good player available. He wasn’t their best ILB. That was Brian Cushing. Ryans had been a great MLB for the team for years. They switched to the 3-4 last year and Ryans role changed. He went from playing every down to playing in the base. The Texans didn’t use a Nickel defense. They went base or Dime. Cushing was the guy who played in passing situations. The Texans have quite a few young players who are going to be looking for deals so Ryans price tag made him expendable.

Ryans had an Achilles tendon injury after 6 games in 2010. He came back to start all 16 games in 2011, but didn’t show his previous speed. Is he 100 percent healthy? Are they any Achilles concerns? The Eagles will give him a physical to make sure they are fully happy with things. The fact that Ryans started all 16 games showed that he could stay healthy. It generally takes 2 years for a player to fully recover from an Achilles injury and get back to 100 percent. Ryans should look better/faster this year than he did in 2011.

Other people wonder why not go after Lofton or a FA MLB. The Eagles are picky. They might not have liked some part of Lofton’s game. Maybe they just think his asking price is crazy. Ryans is a player the Eagles clearly like and wanted. I think he is a terrific fit. Reading the comments from his Texans teammates probably tells a big part of the story. Go read Les Bowen’s story on Ryans for some good quotes. Ryans was seen as the heart and soul of the Texans. His teammates loved him.

One popular bit of skepticism…is Ryans the 2011 Ernie Sims? No. Ernie was a talented, but erratic player that we hoped would change his stripes when he got onto a good team and in a winning environment. You could watch his game tape and see talent, but also mistakes and issues. The thought was that getting him off an awful Lions defense would bring out the best in him. That didn’t happen. The bad habits were permanent and he also remains the least instinctive LB I’ve ever seen. One of my friends used to joke that watching Sims play LB reminded him of a neighborhood dog chasing cars that drove by his house. All effort, but no thinking going on at all.

Ryans is a good MLB. He’s coming here from a Texans defense that really had a great year in 2011. Ryans is a beloved teammate and leader. He was a good student at Alabama. He plays smart on the field. He has good size at 6-1, 247. That’s plenty big for MLB. He’s got enough athletic ability to be a good player. We don’t have to hope that Ryans changes. We need more of the same. That’s a huge difference between him and Sims.

The Eagles made a really smart move and solidified the middle of the defense. Eagles MLB DeMeco Ryans…that sure has a nice ring to it, huh?

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One of the side benefits to this deal is Ryans influence on our young LBs. Casey Matthews, Jamar Chaney, and Keenan Clayton all have talent. Set the snarky jokes aside for a minute. Those guys were terrific college players. Clayton is a special athlete. Chaney is fast and has shown flashes of big talent. Even Casey is a guy with real potential. Now these guys will get to watch a true pro in action. Brian Rolle had a solid rookie season and could benefit a great deal from playing alongside Ryans. The young guys can learn a ton from him. Heck, Akeem Jordan and Moise Fokou can learn from him. Don’t underestimate what this can mean to the LB corps.

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I watched a lot of Texans football before writing this post. I actually fell asleep while watchign one game and started dreaming about DeMeco Ryans. I think that is a good thing.

I watched 2010 and 2011 games. I watched him vs passing teams and running teams. I wanted to see a lot of different looks. I came away very happy. Ryans is a legit stud MLB. Can’t stress enough how much I love his physicality. Also a lot of fun to see a smart LB in action. Last year we had the 3 stooges on the field way too many times.

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I’ll talk about SAM, Luke Kuechwalker, and the draft later. Can’t use all my good topics in one post.