Part of that game was Buddy Ryan, former assistant coach for the Chicago Bears, and later a head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. Ryan was as fun as he was innovative.
What Bill Walsh was to offense, Ryan was to defense. Ryan's 46 defense, which he ran to perfection as an assistant with the Chicago Bears, was arguably one of the greatest defensive innovations in the past half century. When any team played against those Bears, their offensive fear was almost palpable. The Super Bowl Champion 1985 Bears are still considered one of the greatest teams in NFL history.
When Ryan later became head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, "Buddy Ball" was born. Those Eagles may not have been champions, but they were sure fun to watch! With crazy Randall Cunningham at quarterback, Keith Byars at running back, and Mike Quick and Cris "He only catches touchdowns" Carter at wide receiver, they were as fun to watch as their defense, which was pretty marvelous with Reggie White, Clyde Simmons, and Jerome Brown, arguably one of the greatest defensive lines ever.
When Ryan was fired by Philadelphia, he spent one year with Houston as an assistant, and then ended up in Arizona as head coach. Sadly, that team was a bad fit for him, and he left football after the Cardinals gave up on him.
Buddy Ryan is dead today. I will miss you Buddy. Football has missed you for a long time already.
(hat tip to CBS Philly for the pic)
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