Demeco Ryans

DEMECO RYANS - A two-time Pro Bowler, Ryans was acquired to be the answer to the question that has long loomed over middle linebacker. He has the pedigree, but has to bounce back from a down season in 2011. JAMAR CHANEY - After a fast start as a rookie, Chaney had a rocky 2011, starting at the strong side and then moving to the middle early in the season. He struggled at times, and will have to move back outside with Ryans in town. BRIAN ROLLE - Rolle was probably the team's most effective linebacker last season, and showed impressive power for his size.

HE'S CALLED "Matty Ice" as a compliment, a nod to his ability to shake off some of the worst starts and circumstances the quarterback position can experience and play the last few minutes as if someone pressed restart. Nineteen times in his four-plus seasons, Matt Ryan has driven the Atlanta Falcons to victory in the waning minutes of a game, including three straight occurrences leading into Sunday's game against the Eagles. Just perfect. A defense coming off two fourth-quarter meltdowns, a defense that just saw its coordinator fired, that will have Todd Bowles talking into DeMeco Ryans' ears for the first time this Sunday, will have its first test against a guy whose fourth quarters make Eli Manning seem like a hack.

Up-Down Drill   Nick Foles In a season full of disappointment, the latest has been back-to-back uninspiring performances from the rookie quarterback. Any evaluation on Foles' future has to come with the caveat of playing behind a rotten line. But he has not looked like the answer to the Eagles' quarterback problem.   Bryce Brown Given the opportunity to log more carries, Brown was amazing and, well, not amazing. The running back set a franchise record for rushing yards in a game by a rookie, but he also fumbled twice.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Eagles have room to add another defensive tackle, with free agents Derek Landri and Trevor Laws still unsigned. Mike Patterson, Cullen Jenkins, Antonio Dixon, and Cedric Thornton are under contract, but the Eagles carried five defensive tackles last season. Thornton, an undrafted rookie, could be expendable. The Eagles could be targeting one of a number of attractive defensive tackles in the first round of next month's draft. General manager Howie Roseman agreed that it is a position of strength in the draft.

An entry by Les Bowen on the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com FORMER EAGLES and Houston Texans defensive end N.D. Kalu has a sports radio talk show in Houston now, on KILT. Like many Houstonians, Kalu was surprised by the departure of middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans to the Eagles; unlike most Houstonians, Kalu still pulls passionately for the Birds, so he isn't too grief-stricken. We thought it might be fun to catch up with N.D. and get his impressions not only of Ryans, his friend and former Texans teammate, but of the differences Ryans will encounter between being a Texans focal point and assuming that role here.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Not every day is a completely successful day at training camp, not every practice moves DeMeco Ryans closer to where he wants to be with the Eagles, but Thursday was just fine. "It's coming. It's going in the right direction," Ryans said. "And I know because I'm my toughest critic. " Ryans came to the team in an offseason trade to fill what has been a gaping hole at middle linebacker. He brought with him six years of NFL experience, a reputation as a popular team leader, and the standard question marks attached to a veteran who suffered an Achilles tendon injury not that long ago. If he can stay healthy and show enough mobility to remain on the field in passing situations, Ryans is just what the Eagles defense needs - a shot of maturity chased by a pint of attitude.

HE CAME HERE to be the glue, to pull together a disjointed defense that had underperformed the year before because of a perceived softness and a lack of leadership. Of the muted criticisms aimed at DeMeco Ryans from time to time, softness or lack of leadership were never among them. He was tough, he could tackle, and he wasn't afraid to talk. None of that, as it turned out, was enough to save the Philadelphia Eagles' defense from itself last season. Whether it was early under the big-play susceptible schemes of Juan Castillo, or later under the more erratic tenure of Todd Bowles, Ryans' hopeful midweek messages to his team and fans began to sound more and more like the rantings of Monty Python's "Black Knight" as November became December, still uttering bravado even when no limbs remained.

When the Eagles traded for DeMeco Ryans, the feeling of relief and excitement among fans was palpable. The team had picked up a name linebacker. Finally. But the big move doesn't necessarily mean the Eagles solved the linebacker problems that were so plain and painful to see last season. Ryans is a two-time Pro Bowler and renowned leader, but after an Achilles tear in 2010 he wasn't the same player in 2011. The Eagles are optimistic about his health and returning him to the 4-3 system in which he excelled, but even if he returns to form, the team might need insurance and definitely needs an upgrade at outside linebacker.

Omar Gaither, Stewart Bradley, Joe Mays, Akeem Jordan, Chris Gocong, Will Witherspoon, Jamar Chaney, Casey Matthews, Jeremiah Trotter 3.0 . . . DeMeco Ryans? Have the Eagles finally found, after five seasons of impostors, their savior at middle linebacker? After the Eagles bagged Ryans in a trade with the Houston Texans on Tuesday, reaction from the team's fans has been overwhelmingly positive. Much of the excitement has to do with Ryans, of course. But underneath it all has been the blue-collar city's desperation for a savior at the most blue-collar of positions.