Ryans Just Not Relying on Instinct for Texans

HOUSTON - Here's a scary thought: This time a year ago, DeMeco Ryans was a lost ball in high weeds. He spent his evenings "cramming with the playbook, trying to dissect it picture-by-picture, every play there was, every situation there was," he recalled.

With his first National Football League game approaching, "I was a little nervous." He has flatly admitted he got through his rookie season primarily on instinct and talent.

The Houston Texans probably didn't know what to expect of Ryans, whom they made their second-round draft pick after his days as an All-American at Alabama.

What nobody expected was this: Ryans, a 23-year-old native of Bessemer, was the consensus NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He led the NFL with 126 solo tackles. His 156 tackles (solo and assisted) were the most by a rookie in two decades. In nine of 16 starts, he had double-digit tackles. READ MORE