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Eastern's Logan Ryan enjoys Super Bowl glow

Logan Ryan conceded he was bushed. That is what a 16-game NFL schedule, a run to the Super Bowl, and 10 postseason games in four years will do to one of the league's more durable cornerbacks.

Logan Ryan conceded he was bushed.

That is what a 16-game NFL schedule, a run to the Super Bowl, and 10 postseason games in four years will do to one of the league's more durable cornerbacks.

Ryan has enjoyed an incredible football journey since being named the Inquirer South Jersey defensive player of the year in the fall of 2008 as a senior at Eastern.

He went on to star at Rutgers, was a third- round draft choice of the New England Patriots, and has known nothing but winning since joining the NFL.

After helping New England win its second Super Bowl in the last three years, Ryan said that he will enjoy the long offseason.

How could he not?

His team enjoyed an epic comeback from a 28-3 deficit to stun the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28, in the first overtime Super Bowl.

"It feels extremely satisfying and fulfilling," Ryan said in a phone interview this week from the Patriots offices in Foxborough, Mass. ". . . The game was a perfect example of, no matter how down and out you appear, you keep fighting and you can end up on top."

It sure worked for Ryan and his teammates.

Now 26, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Ryan took a chance of sorts when he decided to forgo his final season of eligibility at Rutgers and enter the NFL draft in 2013. He was selected in the third round, the 83rd overall choice.

There were many opinions stating Ryan should have stayed in school to boost his stock. But Ryan didn't listen to any of the skeptics.

"The decision was about believing in myself," he said. "I felt in college I had nothing to prove."

He turned out to be right.

Ryan began contributing immediately in New England. He has yet to miss a game in his first four seasons - 64 in the regular season and 10 more in the playoffs.

"I have played through a lot of pain to stay on the field," he said. "It's all about putting in the work, but as I get older, you start feeling it more."

Ryan has among the more stressful jobs in all of sports - being out on an island at cornerback, defending some of the best athletes around.

And even during the week, his job is no less stressful. That's because in practice he has to go up against arguably the best quarterback of all-time, five-time Super Bowl-winning teammate Tom Brady.

"He wins some and I try to hold my own, and he makes it extremely difficult," Ryan said. "If you are caught slipping and not on your game every day in practice, it can be tough."

This year Ryan had a team-high 92 tackles, according to Patriots statistics. He started all three playoff games and added another 22 tackles, including six against the Falcons.

He lives in Phoenix during the offseason with his fiancée and daughter, a welcome change of scenery.

"After the [New England] winter, it's great to get out in the sun," he said.

Everything appears sunny for Ryan, who on March 9 will become an unrestricted free agent. He didn't want to speculate on his plans.

"I'm still winding down from the Super Bowl," he said.

Still, he should not lack suitors. Ryan has been a playmaker, with 243 tackles, 13 interceptions, and 41 passes defensed during his 64 regular-season games.

As a senior at Eastern, Ryan was a standout quarterback and corner. During his senior season he led the Vikings to a 7-3 record and a South Jersey Group 4 playoff berth. Seeded eighth, the Vikings lost in the first round to eventual champion Mainland, 42-14.

Ryan provided a hint of his future playmaking abilities that season by recording 43 tackles and five interceptions, even though opposing quarterbacks didn't throw his way much in high school.

"I have great memories of high school football," he said.

And the memories have multiplied in the NFL.

He's the owner of two Super Bowl rings and doesn't take a single accomplishment for granted.

"It's been an unbelievable experience," he said. "Every day I realize how fortunate I am."

mnarducci@phillynews.com

@sjnard