When you talk to people about Buddy Ryan there is little ambiguity; they either loved him or hated him. In fact, Ryan even said “I think with me what you see is what you get. But some people don’t like what they see.” When talking about Ryan’s recent death, the nicest thing one radio talk show host could say was that he was sorry for Ryan’s family.
“I think with me what you see is what you get. But some people don’t like what they see.” – Buddy Ryan USAToday.com
The flip side of that coin was noting how the players Ryan coached on the Super Bowl-winning 1985 Chicago Bears were moved to tears when talking about Ryan in ESPN’s 30 for 30 “The ’85 Bears” that originally aired February 4, 2016 – just months before Ryan’s death. The depth of the emotion expressed by these men who dominated the NFL when talking about Ryan speaks volumes about the type of man he was.
Ryan spent thirty-five years coaching in the National Football League. His first NFL coaching job was with the New York Jets, where he began as a defensive coach in 1968 and took home his first Super Bowl ring after the Jets held Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts to one touchdown. As the defensive line coach, Ryan developed a series of blitzes – the 59 Blitz, the “Cheeseburger Blitz” and the “Taco Bell Blitz.”
It was during his time in New York that Ryan learned to attack an offense where they are weak. Jets Head Coach Weeb Eubanks went to extremes to protect their star quarterback Joe Namath and the knees that plagued him with injuries. Ryan took heed of this and built his defenses accordingly.
From the Jets, Ryan went on to serve as the defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings. That line became known as “The Purple People Eaters.” You would not expect less from the ever colorful Buddy Ryan, and after two years in Minnesota, Ryan moved up in the coaching ranks and on to the defensive coordinator position for the Chicago Bears.
The first few years with the Bears were rocky at best, and after a dismal three wins and six losses in the strike-shortened 1982 season, Ryan and the Bears (along with their new head coach Mike Ditka) were on an upswing in 1984 when the Bears finished the season 10-6.
Then came the 1985 season. The best way to describe what happened is the perfect storm. In spite of their turbulent relationship, Ryan and Ditka had found the right combination. With their cocky, out-of-control quarterback, Jim McMahon and “Sweetness” himself Walter Payton on the offensive side of the field, there was the defense with the fitting “Monsters of the Midway” nickname.
While Ditka and Ryan may have clashed, their conflicting styles worked well together. The Bears were unstoppable. Buddy Ryan and his 46 Defense lead the league. What did Ryan have to say about his 46 defense? “Some say the 46 is just an eight-man front. That’s like saying Marilyn Monroe is just a girl.” Ryan and his Bears rode the crazy train all the way to Super Bowl XX and another Super Bowl ring for Ryan.
“Some say the 46 is just an eight-man front. That’s like saying Marilyn Monroe is just a girl.” Buddy Ryan
USAToday.com
The joy of the Super Bowl win was dampened by the news that Ryan was leaving. When a tearful Ryan told his defense he was leaving the night before the big game they trashed the room; chairs were thrown, and broken projectors and chalk boards littered the space. They were devastated, but they went out the next day and dominated the New England Patriots. In an unprecedented move, the “Monsters of the Midway” carried their defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan off the field next to their head coach Mike Ditka.
Ryan then spent five years as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He took those teams to the playoffs three years but ended his time there with no playoff wins. There was some scandal and controversy: accusations of running up scores out of spite and bounties on players. Ryan was harshly criticized in Philadelphia for his failure to utilize their quarterback, Randall Cunningham, and even benching the star at one point.
Wrapping up his career with short stints with the Houston Oilers and the Arizona Cardinals, Buddy Ryan left behind a legacy. The Oilers and Cardinals both recognized Ryan’s talent and brought him in during the twilight of his career to revitalize their defenses. His was a tough, hard-hitting, no-apologies style of coaching. The days of Ryan’s style of coaching are long gone, but the memories he left for us live on. If Ryan coached today the way he did then he’d be fired at best, or in jail at worst.
Ryan also left us his sons Rex and Rob, head coach and defensive coach, respectively, of the Buffalo Bills. The brothers seem to have split some of their father’s personality. Rex is more mild-mannered, while Rob with his long-haired, bearded, wild man looks exhibits behavior befitting his looks on the sidelines.That coaching combo will make for an interesting season but that is a story for another day.
“Without Buddy Ryan … I’m just a guy,” legendary Bears linebacker Mike Singletary said on an ESPN documentary about the 1985 Bears. “He’s someone that you meet, and you think he’s the toughest, meanest guy that you’ll ever meet. But he loves you. He just doesn’t know how to express it. But you know it when he looks at you.” – NFL.com
He may have rarely called these men, these “Monsters of the Midway,” by their names, only their numbers. Even so, they knew Buddy cared.
Thank you Buddy Ryan for the 46, for the Cheeseburger Blitz, for just being you whether we liked it or not. In closing, we need to take a moment and listen to his words read by his former players.
