He could be gruff and insulting, but his players loved him. He was funny and honest, and reporters loved him. He designed a defense that won the Bears a Super Bowl, and a city loved him.
Buddy Ryan has died at 82 after a long battle with health issues. He was an Oklahoma native, but he felt like a Chicago original. He was a huge part of the 1985 Bears, a cast of characters that won a championship and never loosened its grip on the town.
Coaches still talk reverently about Ryan’s 46 Defense. Hall of Famers Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary and Richard Dent helped make up what might have been the most talented collection of players on one side of the ball, but coaches still worship at the altar of the defensive coordinator’s strategic innovation. And no one makes fun of the 46 the way people do Phil Jackson’s triangle offense with the Bulls and Michael Jordan.
That’s one of the enduring tributes to Ryan, and there will be many more to come in the days ahead. Behind all the humor and the crustiness was a very smart football man.
Put eight men in the box, six of them on the line and overwhelm blockers with numbers and talent. And the Bears certainly did that in 1985, putting together the best defense the NFL has ever seen. In the playoffs alone, they outscored opponents 91-10, which included a 46-10 blowout of the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
That was the game that completed Ryan, but it was also the game that gave the world a glimpse of the feud between him and Mike Ditka. Offensive players put Ditka on their shoulders, and the defense carried Ryan off the field. No picture told a more revealing story. The only thing missing was a chicken fight. After the Super Bowl, the Eagles hired Ryan as their head coach, and the show was over.
Ryan offered tough love. He might have known players more by their numbers than their names but he offered them a path to greatness. The smart ones understood and eventually came to realize that beneath the rough exterior was a caring man. It became more apparent later in his life, when he fought cancer and other health problems.
In February, someone asked Singletary on Twitter when he knew the ’85 Bears’ defense was something special – was it a game or a moment?
“Two words,’’ he tweeted. “Buddy Ryan.’’
Someone asked Singletary if he could pinpoint why subsequent Bears teams couldn’t match the success of the 1985 team.
“Buddy Ryan,’’ he responded.