Doug Pederson Praises Texans' DeMeco Ryans' Leadership

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans will reunite with Jacksonville Jaguars' Doug Pederson Sunday, as the two had their careers overlap with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012.

DeMeco Ryans was a captain for the Houston Texans during his playing days — two great bullet points on a resume for a head coach.

As he faces the Jacksonville Jaguars for the first time since putting on the headset, he'll be crossing paths with a former coach of his in Doug Pederson, who was the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach during Ryans' first season there as a linebacker in 2012. Pederson sees similar qualities in Ryans now that have followed him from his playing days.

"He's definitely a leader, definitely a lot of energy and you see it with his team," Pederson said Friday. "You see that leadership. You see that energy. Those were all things that he was as a player. Tough guy, smart, athletic and just a great linebacker."

While the Texans haven't raced out to a fantastic start record-wise, they have shown glimpses of progress.

Heading into the locker room at M&T Bank Stadium, the Texans trailed the Baltimore Ravens by just one point. Last week, Houston outscored the Indianapolis Colts 10-3 to make the final score of what was a 28-10 halftime deficit look a little more respectable at the game's conclusion.

Ryans' ability to rally the troops, as well as quarterback C.J. Stroud's resiliency have played big factors in the moments Houston can celebrate.

In the second half, Stroud put the team on his back, completing 21-of-31 passes for 266 yards and a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tank Dell.

Ryans' leadership will be necessary this weekend, as the Texans put their five-game winning streak at EverBank Stadium to the test at noon on FOX.