Buddy Ryan

[bfj]

Yup. '85 Bears defense was the best ever.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/16579 ... ies-age-82

[A_B]

Dang. Bad day to be a coach.

[Giff]

Is there an old baseball manager about to die?

[brian]

Is there an old baseball manager about to die?

Roy Hodgson might get strangled yet today in England.

[howard]

Is there an old baseball manager about to die?

[Giff]

I hated it at the time, but looking back on it, it was awesome he punched Gilbride.

[sancarlos]

He was a great coach, but a first class asshole.

[DSafetyGuy]

The letter he wrote to the '85 Bears made things a little dusty in the "30 for 30" on the team.

To my guys,

In 1981, many of you signed a letter to George Halas to save my job. Now I’m writing a letter to all of you to say thanks. I wish I could be there to say it in person, but this will have to do.

Thank you to the Super Bowl Champion 1985 Chicago Bears, the greatest football team in NFL history. You gave me the best memories of my coaching life.

You all mean the world to me. I’ll love every one of you until the day I die.

I told you this a long time ago, and it’s still true: You guys will always be my heroes.

Love,

Buddy Ryan

[L-Jam3]

Just a note about Buddy from someone from the Delaware Valley.

The intervening years between the disassembling of the 1980 Super Bowl team under Dick Vermeil and the rise of Buddy Ball in the late 80s were dark times for Eagles fans. While over the last 25+ years Philly has been a franchise that was and is considered successful, or at very least competent, they were a bona fide afterthought during the better part of the 80s. Marion Campbell could be best described as the coaching equivalent of an AAAA-player: a top coordinator but overmatched as a head coach. Think of Norv Turner. Not only did they suck, they weren't even relevant.

Enter Buddy. One area that gets overshadowed by his defensive acumen is his talent evaluation in drafting names like Randall Cunningham, Keith Byars, Cris Carter, Fred Barnett, Jerome Brown, Seth Joyner, Clyde Simmons, Eric Allen, and Keith Jackson. The eventual acquisition of Reggie White made the defense completely come together, as a player who could truly wreck shit as much as Reggie totally coalesced the talent around him. Think of the way Watt is the fulcrum of the Texans' D, and you can understand the impact. As much as that, Buddy was an antagonizer, reigniting the division rivalries with Dallas, Washington, and New York.

His Defensive prowess was unmatched: not only was he the architect of the 85 Bears D, generally regarded as the best defense ever, but all the players on the 91 Eagles were his picks too. That 91 Eagles team is simply regarded as not only the top DVOA defense in DVOA years (89 to the present), but the 2nd best both against the run (to 2000 Baltimore) and 2nd best against the past (to 2002 Tampa). In fact, when they ran a pseudo-DVOA for years from 1950 to 1988 when they did not yet break down every play of the season, those ranks of #1 overall, and #2 against both the pass and the run, still remain.

I noted a few teams earlier including Baltimore, Tampa, Dallas, Washington, and the Giants. And that was Buddy's downfall. For all his Defensive skill, his Offensive Lines were constantly sub-par. Those of us of a certain age can remember Scramblin' Randall, but keep in mind he was also the most sacked QB in the league each year when he led the team in rushing. And that weakness, or complete lack of attention, led to the Eagles losses in the playoffs.

Like just about any coach, he had his strengths and his weaknesses. But Eagles fans around my age or older consider him the turning point in the team's history. He was a character, and he'll be missed.

[Tom 1860]

He was a joy as the Oliers DC. He helped blow up the locker room and threw a punch at the OC on prime time...

[Steve of phpBB]

Yup. '85 Bears defense was the best ever.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/16579 ... ies-age-82

Yup.

[Pruitt]

Yup. '85 Bears defense was the best ever.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/16579 ... ies-age-82

Yup.

Even though the Steel Curtain of the 70s was horrifyingly good for a number of years, the 85 Bears were the best single season defense ever.

They gave up more than 20 points only 3 times during the season, and gave up less than two touchdowns 10 times! Including a run of 3 weeks in the middle of the season where they only gave up a single field goal.

And in the playoffs? Two shutouts, 10 points in total given up and the only TD was in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl when the score was 44-3. Holy moses!

[howard]

Even stopped Walter Payton in that Super Bowl (via Fridge Perry)