"It took awhile, but the Texans have caught on to linebacker DeMeco Ryans’ tricks.

They no longer are surprised when they tell him to take a break in practice only to see him sprinting back onto the field. It doesn’t shock them when the trainers say Ryans (6-1, 250) has injuries that would sideline most players and he is nonetheless dressed and ready for that Sunday’s game.

“He forces himself back on the field,” linebackers coach Johnny Holland said. “(In practice), he’d tell us he’d just need to get the mental reps and see it on the field. He thinks (with) every rep he has a chance to get better. You’ve really got a lot of respect for a guy like that.

“The guy plays through pain. There’s a couple of games he probably wasn’t healthy enough to play. But the guy is relentless. He’s not going to miss a game.”

Ryans’ approach has nothing to do with personal statistics or extending a streak of starts that has reached 32.

As a rookie in 2006, Ryans twisted his ankle against the New England Patriots. There was only a minute left in the game, and the Texans trailed by 33 points. The coaches told him to stay on the sidelines, and Ryans refused. Eventually, they forced him to leave the game.

This training camp, coach Gary Kubiak plans to have defensive end Mario Williams and Ryans rest possibly every four or five days. That idea makes Ryans and Holland laugh. Holland has failed to get Ryans to rest.

“Johnny always tells me to sit down and give someone else a rep, and I always sneak off in there,” Ryans, 24, said. “But if he says, ‘Kubiak doesn’t want you to go in now,’ I’ll stand on the sidelines.

“Everyone complains about practice because it’s so hot, but when you stand on the sidelines, I want to be out there. It’s so boring standing on the sidelines.”

Ryans sprained his ankle and tore his posterior cruciate ligament at the end of last season. He didn’t miss a start and rarely would leave a game to take a break. He finished the season with 128 tackles, boosting his career total to 283. He also was named a Pro Bowl starter.

“(Last season) showed he’s the type of guy who puts the team first,” linebacker Morlon Greenwood said. “He showed he’s not a selfish person.”"