He was 85 years old. That seems to be an appropriate age. Buddy Ryan died on Tuesday. We will never again see a defense like his.
I’m glad they did that 30 for 30 on the 85 Bears. I learned a lot of things I did not know about Buddy Ryan and that 85 Bears team. The whole letter thing a few years before it all was cool… how the Bears lobbied to keep him… and how management actually listened. Then of course, the response to the letter that Buddy gave, which the Bears read during the special. How cool was that? It was a cool time.
I had just started to see some great teams in Chicago. The 83 Sox, the 84 Cubs, and then 1985 came. I’ve talked about this a ton, and even did a feature on the team on this 30 year anniversary of that one and only Super Bowl title. I was only 9 years old at the time, but I remember almost everything from that year. I remember they didn’t get along… Ditka and Buddy. I also remember both of them getting carried off the field that day… I guess it was all worth it.
We will never again see another defense like this, partially because it would be illegal in today’s NFL. After I heard Buddy had passed, I tried to listen to as much as I could… couple interviews with Hampton, Otis, & Doug Plank. I tried to read as much as I could… Pompei, Hub, Biggs. Not sure where I heard this one story… there are so many, but it was about Buddy’s time with the New York Jets… when Namath was the QB. In a team meeting, they asked Broadway Joe to stand up, and it was reiterated to the team that protecting him was the number 1 priority. Buddy remembered that, and when it came to his defense, destroying the QB was their number one priority. That was the name of the game. That’s what the 85 Bears did so well.
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It was the fact that he created a new defense: the 46 defense. We all know the name was picked because that’s the number Doug Plank wore at safety for the Bears. It was years in the making, and when all the right pieces were in place… all those great Bear defenders were in sync… listening to Buddy orchestrate… it was a thing of beauty. It was the best defense of all time.
It’s sad to see another Chicago legend go. Yes, on this same day, Pat Summit died, and she was awesome in her own right. She was one of the best coaches of all time in all sports. But as assistant coaches go, Buddy was the cream of the crop. On PTI they said there should be more assistant coaches in the HOF… I agree. If that was true, Buddy would be one of the first.
I wanted to go back home and put my Bears gear on… and I eventually did. I broke out the 85 Bears t-shirt and wore it last night. It was a sad day in Chicago sports. Another legend has passed… I guess I’ll see more and more of those as I get older. Buddy is one of the symbols of that greatest team in Chicago sports history, and for that, we thank you. RIP Buddy.
MK
Buddy Ryan’s defensive philosophy…
“QBs are overpaid, overrated, pompous bastards and must be punished. … A quarterback has never completed a pass when he was flat on his back.”
Attack, attack, attack. The 30 for 30 special was great…the letter to keep buddy and the letter to his D guys years later, not to mention some of the comments from guys that played D for him. The 46 D would not let you run the ball, and the qb would be playing scared half of the time because it was only a matter of time before he was on his back or worse, a stretcher. The 85 Bears behind buddy’s 46 D are the best ever!