DeMeco Ryans had a rare in-game reflective moment during Saturday's runaway win over the Browns at NRG Stadium.
Late in the 45-14 blasting of Cleveland in the Wild Card playoff victory, Ryans soaked in a memorable moment. He discussed it with Texans Voice Marc Vandermeer and Radio Sideline Reporter John Harris Monday during his weekly radio show.
"The moment for me was when the lights were off in the stadium and everybody was holding the cell phone," Ryans said. "I was on the headset at that moment. I was like, 'Oh, wow, this is such a cool moment. I haven't seen this before here in Houston all year.' Like, what a cool moment."
The lights were turned off during a break in action, a large chunk of the sellout crowd inside NRG Stadium turned their cellphone lights on, and waved them back-and-forth while Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" played. Ryans starred in Houston from 2006 through 2011 as a linebacker, and then spent four more years with the Eagles. As an assistant with the 49ers, he coached in a Super Bowl as well as two other NFC title games. He took a timeout from the action to remind his staff how special a situation they were all experiencing.
"I was just telling the guys, 'Hey, make sure you take this moment in, because this is a really cool atmosphere,'" Ryans said.
The head coach appreciated the turnout, as well as the enthusiasm the home crowd showed for the Texans in the win.
"Our fans showed up big time for us," Ryans said. "They were loud. That was the moment that I will always remember in that Browns game. That was a really cool moment for us."
Ryans and the Texans will face the Ravens in Baltimore this Saturday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
