Philadelphia Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans is fired up to play in the first game of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons. This will be his first game since week nine of last season against the Houston Texans, in which he suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury.
In terms of mileage, the Eagles will travel less than any other team in the NFL this season. Ryans is happy that the season opener will be played near his hometown of Bessemer, Alabama.
"I'm really pumped up for this game and especially for me because this is a game that is as close as I'll get to my hometown this year and I'll have a lot of my family and friends who will come out to the game on Monday night," Ryans said on Wednesday. "It's something that is special. It's truly special."
The Eagles defense was without it's leader after Ryans went down last season. Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho did their best to replace the 10-year veteran, but it wasn't good enough. The Eagles record was 6-2 after the victory of the Texans. As most know, the Eagles ultimately ended their season at 10-6, making them ineligible for playoff contention.
Ryans' injury last season was the second Achilles tear of his career. It must of felt like strange for him, as it was the same time suffering the same injury was at NGR Stadium in Houston when he played for the Texans, and it happened on the very same part of the field.
Ryans says dealing with the injury was nothing like not being able to help the Eagles make their way into the playoffs.
"I knew my season was over," Ryans said. "I knew I couldn't help my teammates, and that was the hardest part, if that makes any sense. It was way worse than the actual injury. I couldn't help this team win."
It is unknown as to what kind of role Ryans will have in the defense this year. The Eagles have a trio of inside linebackers on the roster, including Mychal Kendricks, Kiko Alonso and third-round draft pick Jordan Hicks. The depth at the position should benefit the 32-year old Ryans, who played the most snaps of any player in the league in 2013 with 1,189.
Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis believes that there will plenty of snaps to share among all of the inside linebackers because the Eagles typically play of lot of defensive snaps due to their high-tempo offense.
Regardless of what role he plays, Ryans just wants to win.
"I'm so excited about this team and about the guys we have," he said. "I think we have a lot of pieces here, and now it's a matter of making it happen week over week. You just want to get better. You want to win games early and then peak later on in the season."
The long recovery is just about over for Ryans. He can now focus on getting this team ready to go as far it can possibly go. He knows that the expectations are high in Philadelphia.
"That's the thing," he said. "I'm here and I'm excited about what we can be. I think everybody feels that way about this team."
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or on Twitter @Michael_Malia.
