For what the Texans need out of their second inside linebacker, I think they are quite happy with the idea of Darryl Sharpton filling what used to be DeMeco Ryans’ spot.

Sharpton created a solid buzz back in his first training camp in 2010, when the Texans were still playing a 4-3. As a rookie he started six games as an injury fill-in, five on the weakside and one in the middle.

Coming off a quad injury that cost him most of the 2011 season, he could have to battle a draft pick for the inside spot next to Brian Cushing. The other veteran on the inside last year, Tim Dobbins, is a free agent whose name hasn’t come up at all to this point.

Here’s what Scouts Inc. has to say about Sharpton:

Sharpton is a bit shorter than you'd like a linebacker to be but is a superior athlete. He has excellent lateral range and does a good job of coming to balance as he squares up, in the hole, to make the tackle. He needs some work on recognizing blocking schemes and making quick decisions. Once he makes the diagnosis he is quick to pull the trigger. He can deliver a big hit when tackling the ball carrier and flashes good pop to neutralize blocks. He needs work on using his hands. He gets excellent depth in his pass drops but needs work on route recognition and reading the quarterback's eyes.

Coach Gary Kubiak said Sharpton doesn’t automatically get the spot, but will get the opportunity to take it.

“He’s physical, he can run, his problem has been staying upright, staying healthy,” Kubiak said. “So I think if he can stay in one piece he’s got a heck of a chance to help us out.”

Ryans likes him, and thinks he will fare well as a starter.

“Sharpton is going to be a good player,” Ryans said. “He’s a very instinctive player and he’s going to make a lot of plays in the open field. He’s a good young linebacker and he’s capable of stepping in and making plays.”

The Texans don't head into the draft with a long list of needs. They need restocking.

They'll draft a receiver, an outside linebacker and an offensive lineman, I feel certain. Beyond that they have a lot of freedom to find the best players available. Cornerback, inside linebacker and tight end qualify as secondary areas where they need new depth.


(espn.com)

By trading linebacker DeMeco Ryans to Philadelphia, the Texans will receive a fourth-round pick from the Eagles and exchange third-round selections in next month’s draft.

The Texans get the fourth pick in the fourth round. Philadelphia got it in a trade with Tampa Bay.

By switching positions in the third round, the Texans move up 12 spots and have the 77th overall pick and the Eagles’ the 89th.

It’s a win-win situation. Ryans gets to play middle linebacker in the Eagles’ 4-3. And the Eagles are a Super Bowl contender.

Ryans, a seven-year veteran, was not suited to be a one-down player in the Texans’ 3-4. His role was diminished. He was removed every time the Texans went to their nickel defense.

Ryans will be replaced by Darryl Sharpton. who is expected to take his spot next to Brian Cushing in Houston’s starting lineup.

He rotated with Ryans until he suffered a season-ending torn quad tendon. Sharpton was a fourth-round pick in 2010.


(chron.com)

NFL Houston Texans Darryl Sharpton & Friends Invade Main Stage This Saturday March 17th.| $4 ciroc happy hour wit live band performance from 9pm - 11pm.| $100 rozay bottles all night| Food served on patio| Gift bags given out by Revamped Boutique | Dress Code Strictly enforced| For Free Entry Or Vip text/call 832.816.4070

On the first series of the second quarter, backup inside linebacker Darryl Sharpton suffered what coach Gary Kubiak described as a "torn quad tendon," and he will miss the rest of the season.

Sharpton, who had been getting playing time in each game behind DeMeco Ryans, was injured making a tackle on a 4-yard run by Maurice Jones-Drew He'll undergo surgery and be placed on injured reserve.

Sharpton follows Mario Williams (torn pectoral muscle) as linebackers placed on injured reserve.

"He'd been playing very well," Kubiak said about Sharpton. "I feel terrible for him. He's another player lost that we'll have to replace."

Click here to order Darryl Sharpton’s proCane Rookie Card.


(chron.com)

Houston Texans’ linebacker Darryl Sharpton recently visited Schindewolf Intermediate School’s special education teacher Heather Williams and her students.   The Texans and First Community Credit Union named Williams as a Star in the Classroom after Jonathan Charo, one of her students, and his mother nominated her for the honor.    Williams and her classroom received a visit from a Texans player as a benefit of winning the award, and the program donated $500 to the Klein ISD general fund.   Students decorated the classroom with cutouts of Texans jerseys and Sharpton spent over an hour answering questions ranging from his favorite color, to his favorite part about living in Texas, to what it is like being a professional football player.   Each student was able to ask a question, including the non-verbal students through the use of assistive technology devices. 

Click here to order Darryl Sharpton’s proCane Rookie Card.


(ultimatespringtx.com)

LB DeMeco Ryans missed another start for the Houston Texans because of his elbow injury. He was replaced By Darryl Sharpton who has gotten a lot of playing time this preseason and has proven he is worthy of a starting spot on the Texans 3-4 defense.

As for Darryl Sharpton, he’s not big enough to just sit back and let the play come to him.  He’s at his best when he’s playing downhill into gaps.  I love the fact that Sharpton plays with good violence and is a willing combatant around the line of scrimmage.





(chron.com)

The horde eagerly anticipated the self-analysis of Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, who on Wednesday practiced for the first time during training camp after battling a protracted recovery from knee surgery.

Meanwhile, several moments earlier, second-year linebacker Darryl Sharpton slipped away under the cover of broad daylight, almost too inconspicuously given how critical a role he might play this season.

Though Cushing expressed pleasure with the progress he's made over the course of a week, going so far as to reveal that last Wednesday he wouldn't have predicted that he would have practiced in seven days, there are no guarantees Cushing will be prepared to reprise his 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year performance by the opener against the Colts. That is the sobering reality for a team under the stewardship of a new defensive coordinator (Wade Phillips) installing a new scheme (the 3-4) with a corps of starting linebackers either new to the position (former end Mario Williams) or returning from catastrophic injuries.

Whereas DeMeco Ryans (Achilles) and Connor Barwin (ankle) have been full participants throughout, Cushing is returning at a gradual pace. That has Sharpton in the mix alongside Williams and Ryans and Barwin, heady position for the fourth-round pick out of Miami, Fla.

"Honestly, I'm the type of person no matter where I am on the depth chart I'm just going to play my game, which is go all out as hard as I can," Sharpton said. "Whether I'm going with the 1s, the 2s or the 3s, I'm going to still have the same game and mindset, and I'm going to just leave it to God. Like my old (position) coach (Michael Barrow) in college used to tell me, 'If you're doing your best, don't worry about the rest.'"

That simplistic mantra has paid dividends for Sharpton, 23, whose athleticism and physicality have been hard to miss. As a rookie, Sharpton recorded 34 tackles and one sack while participating in 12 games, including six starts. His season was cut short by a shoulder injury in the penultimate game against the Broncos in Week 16, but Sharpton returned healthy and clearly ready to embrace opportunity.

Also clear: Sharpton was undaunted by the challenge of switching to the 3-4. Only one year removed from first learning the rigors of the NFL, Sharpton has absorbed the schematic changes taking reps with the first-team defense. Having Phillips at the controls has eased that transition.

"Wade Phillips is a guru," Sharpton said. "He has a great track record for what he does. I'm getting information and coached up from a very good source, so I have 100 percent confidence and faith in what he's saying."

Texans coach Gary Kubiak needs to feel as confident in his reserves at linebacker as Sharpton is in Phillips, especially considering the hurdles strewn about the path of the projected starters returning from injury or unfamiliar with formulating an attack without one hand on the ground.

If the Texans are to rebound from putting the third-worst defense in the league on the field last season, their search for security extends to fourth-year pros Xavier Adibi and Stanford Keglar, as well as rookie Brooks Reid.

"I think Sharpton's had a very good camp," Kubiak said. "We brought the new guy in, (Tim) Dobbins, so we're trying to take a look at him. I think Xavier has had a good camp. That's very important. The depth at that position is very important.

"It's been a process of a bunch of young players getting reps with the first group. With Cheta (Ozougwu), it's the same type of deal. I'm pleased up to this point of where we're at, but at the same time we got to get DeMeco and Cush up to full speed. That's why we're here working."

Much of the progress displayed on the practice field by Sharpton has come via establishing himself as a pro. Having spent his entire life in Miami prior to the 2010 draft, Sharpton had a lot to juggle as he settled in for a new life in Houston, both professionally and personally. Now there is serenity present, an aura of comfort that has allowed Sharpton to move beyond being star struck by some of his teammates last season to tackling with greater ease the responsibilities presently on his plate.

Sharpton has embraced that he belongs. Whatever comes next will be part of the game that isn't as complicated as some make it out to be.

"There's only so many ways you can play football," Sharpton said. "At the end of the day you've got to tackle the man with the ball and defend passes. There are slight differences in how things are called and how you line up, but at the end of the day football is football and we all have the same goal: make tackles."


(foxsportshouston.com)

When DeMeco Ryans couldn't practice Thursday morning while his contract was being redone, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips plugged in second-year pro Darryl Sharpton at Ryans' right inside linebacker slot. Sharpton proved up to task and then some.

"He got the chance to go in and run the defensive football team," coach Gary Kubiak said. "Just watching him, I thought he did a helluva job."


(chron.com)

Texans LB Darryl Sharpton (torn rotator cuff) expects to be ready to go when training camp opens.
The injury was first reported as a dislocated shoulder. Sharpton is expected to be eased in slowly along with ILB DeMeco Ryans next month. Last year's fourth-round pick is headed for a reserve linebacker and special teams role in Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense.


(rotoworld.com)

Welcome to our 1st annual and long overdue proCane Rankings where we look back at the 2010 NFL season and rank the 43 proCanes that took snaps in 2010 (except for Sinorice Moss who was placed on IR before the start of the season).

Stay tuned as we countdown from number 43 to number 1. Our rankings are based on each player’s performance last year. In August we’ll go ahead and re-rank the player’s based on our 2011 expectations. For now read our review of each player’s 2010 season and where they rank overall. Enjoy!

To read our rankings of players 43-35, click here.

34. Tavares Gooden LB Baltimore Ravens: The knock on Gooden since his college days has been his inability to stay healthy and 2010 unfortunately was no exception as Gooden played in 10 games, he did not start any and only tallied 18 total tackles last season. He was used by the Ravens on obvious passing situations because of his speed and coverage skills, but missed six games due to injury and was not able to secure a starting spot. At one point the Ravens saw Gooden as Ray Lewis’ successor but his inability to stay healthy has put that in doubt. It would be great to see him be able to play an entire season, hopefully 2011 will be the year.

33. Kelly Jennings DB Seattle Seahawks: Jennings under new Head Coach Pete Carroll had a solid mini camp which translated to him starting 14 games for the Seahawks and tallying a career high 13 pass deflections. Jennings also had his first interception since his rookie season in 2006, was far more consistent this year and wasn’t pushed around as much by opposing receivers. Jennings will be a free agent, but look for him to draw interest from teams including the Seahawks.

32. Rashad Butler LT Houston Texans: Butler who has been activated for all 16 games the last two years for the Texans started four games this past season and performed quite well at left tackle. Butler as a matter of fact opened the eyes of opposing coaches with his solid play and most probably will be snatched up by a team in need of a starting left tackle this offseason.

31. Phillip Buchanon DB Washington Redskins: In his first year with the Redskins, Buchanon, who played in all 16 games and started 5 had a career high in pass deflections (18) and recorded two interceptions. Overall, Buchanon had a solid year, but was at times inconsistent and found himself in Shanahan and Co.’s doghouse on several occasions. Buchanon didn’t contribute as much as was anticipated on punt returns but is still a threat on special teams as well. With one year under his belt with the Redskins look for Buchanon to have a bigger impact in 2011.

30. Calais Campbell DE Arizona Cardinals: There were high expectations coming into the 2010 season for Campbell as he was expected to record double digit sacks and more than adequately replace free-agent departee Antonio Smith. Unfortunately in 15 games Campbell only recorded six sacks, 1 less than the 2009 season though he did have more total tackles (60). The 2011 season will be an important one for Campbell to prove that he can be an elite pass rusher in the NFL, because most expected him to already be one.

29. Darryl Sharpton LB Houston Texans: Sharpton in his rookie season with the Texans was a surprise contributor on defense as he started 6 of the 12 games he was active for before sustaining an injury which ended his season prematurely. When playing though, Sharpton was solid both on special teams and defense where he accumulated 34 tackles and a sack. Look for Sharpton to work his way up the Texan depth chart and eventually become a full-time starter, if not in 2011 then 2012.

28. Vernon Carey RT Miami Dolphins: Carey battled a knee injury for most of the 2010 season but still started 12 games for the Dolphins before being put on injured reserve. Carey playing with a below average Dolphins offensive line was one of the few bright spots. Carey has been solid throughout his career and talk of him moving to the guard position is unfounded. Carey, though still recovering from his knee injury should be 100% by the start of the season.

27. Roscoe Parrish WR Buffalo Bills: Parrish was having the best season of his six-year career as through eight games he had career-high receiving yards, rushing yards and receiving touchdowns. Parrish was the Bills’ #2 wide receiver after finally being given opportunity to shine on offense while he continued to be a threat on punt returns as well. Unfortunately his season was cut short in week 8 after he sustained a season-ending wrist injury, but look for him to return as a starter to the Bills’ offense despite the emergence of Steve Johnson last season.

26. Frank Gore RB San Francisco 49ers: Gore was on pace to have another stellar season for the 49ers with their new-found dedication to the running game. Through 11 games Gore had 853 yards on the ground and over 450 yard receiving along with five touchdowns before fracturing his hip and being placed on injured reserve. It was the fourth consecutive season that Gore was unable to play in all 16 games, but when Gore is healthy, there are few in the league that are better than him especially with how involved he has become in the passing game as well.

Check back tomorrow to see which proCanes were ranked 25th through 16th!