That was a great read guys. Question.
You guys have D. Ryans as a top 5 LB this year although he has never matched his rookie season. I would assume since you guys are down on Cushing that would mean more for Ryans, but Ryans' numbers have improved in 2009 since the addition of Cushing. He has not missed a game because of injury and is not a big play LB at all, so his ceiling is pretty limited.
I have Ryans ranked as LB10 in my latest redraft rankings. While there's an argument that I'm cherry picking the data below a bit and there are plenty of other variables to consider, there's evidence that a healthy Ryans with reasonable tackle opportunity is a clear LB1. With the current talent at the position, LB5+ is clearly debatable, but I don't think a 100+ solo season is entirely out of the question.
Ryans' tackle splits by year:
2009
Games 1-8 Ryans 41 solos, 18 assists
Games 9-16 52-12
Houston's tackle opportunity through eight games was 45.1 (third worst in the league and well outside historical norms). Over the final eight games, the average came up to 51.6. In raw numbers, the Texans had 361 opps in the first half of the season, 413 in the second half.
2008 splits
Games 1-8 50-9
Games 9-16 36-17
2007 splits
Games 1-8 59-9
Games 9-16 40-20
In both of these seasons, Ryans fought through multiple injuries, some significant enough that others would not have played -- PCL strains, ankle injuries, etc. With reasonable opportunity and a his health, his first half splits were solid.
2006 splits
Games 1-8 58-15
Games 9-16 68-15
Also, Ryans had 5.5 sacks through the first half of 2007 and 14 PDs in his first two seasons. His role has clearly changed, though, so I agree his big play potential is stunted. Still I think it's worth noting the potential is there.
Unfortunately, Cushing's suspension has flipped the story here. I was prepared to very strongly argue that Cushing was way overvalued and Ryans way undervalued this summer. Right now, it seems pretty unlikely that it'll play out that way.
