Records 13 tackles in Texans' loss

DeMeco's transition to the NFL continued its fast pace on Sunday as he made his first career regular season start and racked up 13 tackles on the day. Despite a stellar effort from his middle linebacker position, DeMeco and the Texans fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 24-10 in the season opener. "Personally I think I had a decent game, but ultimately its all about winning and we didn't get it done today," said Ryans.

Ryans and the Texans' defense held Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb to seven yards rushing but was unable to slow the air attack. "He's (McNabb) so talented. He see's the entire field and makes quick decisions. He's a pro bowler and he shows why when he plays like he did today."  

After a day of reviewing game film on Monday, the Texans will take a day off on Tuesday before beginning preperations for next Sunday's game against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. "It's a long season. We've got to put this loss behind us, learn from our mistakes and get better. We'll see another pretty good quarterback again next Sunday." 

Ryans will share more thoughts on Sunday's game and look ahead at the Colts when he updates his blog during Tuesday's off-day.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF SUNDAY'S GAME courtesy of NFL Network

Excitement is building...

Game week is finally here. To say I’m excited about opening the season would be a serious understatement. I had wondered if the excitement and anticipation would be the same in the NFL as it was at Alabama. As Sunday approaches, the excitement and anticipation continues to build and will definitely rival that of Alabama. You can tell its game week as you travel around the city of Houston. I think the city is ready to see what this 2006 team will do. Like in college, you have to make sure you temper your emotions and peek at the right time, which will be Sunday morning for me.

Philadelphia is a tough team to defend. Most people talk about Donovan McNabb’s ability to run but forget the guy is a pretty good passer as well. We’ll have to be at our best to keep him in check. It will take all eleven guys focusing on their individual tasks in order for us to get the job done. For me personally, calling the sets from my middle linebacker position will necessitate me being extremely focused on what the Eagles are doing while keeping in mind what we want to do defensively. I know I’ve never seen a quarterback as athletic as Donovan but playing in the SEC allowed me to see multi-faceted quarterbacks.