4-Deep-6 Defense

Buddy Ryan, the head coach with the temperament most well suited to his home city in NFL history, has died at the age of 85. Ryan coached the New York Jets defensive line in Super Bowl III and the Minnesota Vikings’ Purple People Eaters. He was then named defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears where he developed the 46 defense that carried the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX. Much to Mike Ditka’s chagrin, the Bears then carried Ryan out on their shoulders after pasting the New England Patriots. From there it was on to Philadelphia, where in his second season, during the 1987 strike, Ryan sided with his players and refused to be involved in selecting or coaching the replacement players. The overmatched scab squad endured 3 embarrassing defeats, including a game against the hated Dallas Cowboys where Ryan felt Tom Landry had run up the score. In the first game after the strike, also against the Cowboys, with the Eagles up 30-20, Ryan had Randall Cunningham fake taking a knee, then fire a long TD pass in the closing moments. Funny quotes and hating the Cowboys would only go so far, and in Ryan’s 3rd season, he led the Eagles to the NFC East title for their 1st playoff appearance in 7 years. The Divisional Playoff game was against Chicago and Ryan’s old nemesis Ditka, so the day before the game, he had the team buses circle Soldier Field as a victory lap. The lap was premature as a heavy fog settled over the game, limiting vision to 15 yards and negating Cunningham, the Eagles’ lone offensive weapon, as the Eagles lost 20-12. Two more 1st round playoff exits followed, and Ryan was fired. His next job was defensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers, whose Run and Shoot offense Ryan had previously derided as Chuck and Duck. In the last game of the season, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride continued calling passing plays rather than running out the clock. When an ill-advised pass attempt led to a fumble that put his beleaguered defense back on the field, the 62-year-old coach tried to punch Gilbride in the jaw before they were separated.