Unforgettable

Posted: June 29th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 68 Comments »

Buddy Ryan has passed away. He is gone. He will never be forgotten.

Never.

Buddy was one of a kind. He was part of great defenses from the 1960s to the 1990s. He believed in attacking QBs in a way that seemed almost over the top, but you can’t argue with the results. He had Top 5 defenses in Minnesota, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston and Arizona. He won Super Bowls with the Jets and the Bears. His 1985 Bears unit is arguably the greatest defense in the history of the NFL. His 46 Defense proved to be a juggernaut that changed the game of football.

Buddy took over as head coach of the Eagles after the 1985 season. He came in promising great teams and Super Bowls. Neither happened. Buddy built good teams and a great defense, but couldn’t get the Eagles over the hump. They went 0-3 in the playoffs from 1988-1990. Losing him was devastating to the players and plenty of fans. Making matters worse, promising young assistant Jeff Fisher was passed over so Rich Kotite could become the Eagles coach. That infuriated fans and players alike.

If you judge Buddy simply on results, he did fail as Eagles coach. I think that is way too simplistic. You need context to understand the impact Buddy had. The NFC East was the best division in football when Buddy arrived. Dallas won the division in 1985 and had controlled the NFC East for most of the previous two decades. The Giants were building a great team and went to the playoffs in 1984 and 1985. The Skins had played in a pair of Super Bowls in recent years, winning one, and had some great teams.

Buddy didn’t see the point in coming into a lion’s den like that quietly. He wanted everyone, especially the Cowboys, to know that the Eagles were going to kick some ass and win some games. While that attitude didn’t deliver results in 1986, the Eagles did finish the season on a 2-1-1 run. They lost a close game to Dallas early on and beat them late. The Giants won the Super Bowl that season. They whipped the Eagles 35-3 in the first meeting, but only won 17-14 in the rematch. Buddy’s team got better as the season went along.

The 1987 season was marred by a strike. Buddy sided with the players and absolutely hated coaching the replacement players for 3 games. The Eagles went 0-3 in those games and 7-5 for the rest of the year. The real players loved the support Buddy showed for them and that helped make them incredibly loyal to him.

From 1988 to 1990 the Eagles were highly inconsistent, but man were they fun to watch. Randall Cunningham led the high-flying offense and delivered some amazing highlight plays. The defense got better each year and punished offenses on a regular basis. Reggie White proved to be a defensive lineman unlike anything the NFL had seen. 300-pound men just weren’t supposed to be that athletic.

The Eagles personified their coach’s attitude. They were the NFL’s bad boys. They wore black cleats, which the NFL didn’t allow. The defense blitzed relentlessly and played with a real edge. Andre Waters was feared throughout the league and is the one player that Emmitt Smith was scared of. The House of Pain Game and the Body Bag Game were both on Monday Night Football and provided plenty of evidence that the Eagles should be feared due to their extremely physical style of play. QBs, RBs and receivers were at risk and more than a few left the field on a cart or getting help from the trainer.

Even defensive players weren’t safe from the Eagles. If Keith Byars saw someone looking the wrong way, he unloaded on them.

Wow. Just wow.

While Buddy did a great job of building the defense and putting together an exciting offense, the team had some fatal flaws. Randall Cunningham was the running game. He led the team in rushing from 1988-1990. The O-line didn’t do a good job of opening holes for the runners and was even worse when it came to protecting the franchise QB. Buddy specialized in building great defensive lines over the years, but he struggled to find good blockers in Philly. There were draft picks, trades and signings. There were also flops, misses and injuries.

Randall didn’t help matters. He was more concerned with becoming a star than being a great QB or Super Bowl winner. Randall idolized Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall more than he did Terry Bradshaw or Joe Montana. Buddy never did have an offensive coach who could really help mold the unit into anything special.

Buddy the head coach never lived up to Buddy the defensive coordinator. He still went 43-35-1 as coach of the Eagles (and 3 of those losses were with the replacement players in 1987).

The 46 Defense is Buddy’s legacy. It changed the game of football and still is influential today.

Mike Singletary Chicago BearsJanuary 27, 1986S 587credit:  Bill Smith - spec

What made Buddy special wasn’t his ability to draw up X’s and O’s or create complex gameplans, but rather it was his ability to connect with players. He could be an incredible jerk when he wanted to, but once you proved yourself to Buddy, you were a made man. You were in for life. His players were incredibly loyal and speak about him with a kind of reverence to this day.

I have written about ESPN’s 30 For 30 film on the 1985 Bears. Buddy’s relationship with his players was a focal point of that and was very moving. The bond that Mike Singletary and Buddy had was special. They were like father and son. That wasn’t just a player who liked his coach. They almost had a spiritual connection. Buddy pushed Singletary hard, which made him a great player. Singletary’s brains and versatility were exactly what Buddy needed to make the 46 a base defense instead of just a package.

I can’t stress enough that you should watch the 30 For 30 special on the Bears. If you don’t find that moving, you’re probably reading the wrong blog.

It was really odd to see Buddy so frail and vulnerable since we all think of him as the wild, boisterous coach who feared nothing and talked as if he had the world by the tail. Father Time catches up to all of us, even the greatest defensive coach in modern football history.

*****

Buddy is the reason I’m an Eagles fan. I’ll write a separate post on that.

*****

Some good links.

Chicago Tribune on Buddy

Dan Pompei’s personal memories

Great piece by Tim Kawakami

Good stuff from Roob

Bill Lyon shares his thoughts

Les Bowen on how Buddy made Philly an Eagles town

PE.com on Buddy’s passing

Dave Spadaro on Buddy

_


68 Comments on “Unforgettable”

  1. 1 Unforgettable - said at 1:01 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    […] Tommy Lawlor Buddy Ryan has passed away. He is gone. He will never be forgotten. Never. Buddy was one of a kind. […]

  2. 2 Dude said at 1:31 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    My first Eagles memories were of Buddy and Randall. I remember going to school in the morning and talking shit to all the Cowturd fans about Buddy running up the score.

    I’m mostly a modern era Eagles fan, but I was indoctrinated under the Buddy years. That’s probably why I loved JJ so much, and why I’m so excited for JS.

    Tipping back one for Buddy tonight. Tipping back one for the 46. Tipping one back for the Eagles.

    Carry on gents.

  3. 3 Greg said at 1:36 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    Funny thing… I was randomly watching buddy clips on YouTube last night. Lol he ran the score up on the cowboys and scored on the last play of the game… And then the cowboys couldn’t even get off the field because the Eagles got to kick the extra point. Hahahahaha So many great moments and memories.

  4. 4 Dude said at 1:39 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    That was the most galling part… they had to stay for the extra point. Eat it Tom, with your fedoras and suits.

  5. 5 Media Mike said at 7:11 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    The Cowboys deserved getting the score run up on them because of their nonsense in the scab game earlier that year.

  6. 6 Call Me Carlos the Dwarf said at 2:33 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    Jesus, look at the coaches in the NFC East from 1986-1990:

    Eagles: Buddy Ryan
    Giants: Bill Parcells (with Belichick as DC for that entire span)
    Cowboys: Tom Landry, then Jimmy Johnson
    R–skins: Joe Gibbs

    It’s insane that Buddy won a division title in 1988, even if they lost in the first round.

    Halcyon days of the NFC East.

    -YEW

  7. 7 bill said at 8:44 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    I know it’s sacrilege and especially noxious since he coached a rival NFC East team, but Joe Gibbs was the best coach of the 80s, hands down. Walsh gets all the attention because he was flashier, but Joe Gibbs really did some amazing things with those Washington teams, and they were fun to watch.

    The fact that Buddy made those Eagles’ teams (owned by perhaps the worst owner in the history of the NFL) relevant during the late ’80s in the face of that murderer’s row is probably the best compliment he could get. It really is too bad that they couldn’t get the offense more consistent, because those defenses were amazing.

    The House of Pain game, despite Buddy not officially being the coach, is really the game that defines the teams Buddy built. The Broad Street Bullies never intimidated a team the way that team made the high-powered Houston offense just flat out quit that night. OK, maybe the game against Moscow CSKA game they did :), but the point is that Eagles’ D wasn’t just great, it was feared. And that (good and bad) is a reflection of what Buddy had built. He got me back into Eagles’ football after the wilderness of the mid-80s and the “Swamp Fox” debacle.

  8. 8 BobSmith77 said at 3:39 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Gibbs also owned Buddy too (8-3 all time vs Buddy’s Eagles teams including the 20-6 victory at the Vet in the ’90 NFC playoff game that sealed Buddy’s fate in Philly).

  9. 9 laeagle said at 5:39 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Walsh is the best, sorry. His legacy is a system and a never ending stream of coaches who he taught, and their subsequent students, and all the Super Bowls that they won. Gibbs’s legacy is guys in dresses and pig noses.

    Perhaps I’m dismissing Gibbs too readily. He truly was a great coach. But Walsh was an absolute legendary coach, working on a different level. He’s one of the top 5 most influential people in NFL history.

  10. 10 eagleyankfan said at 9:11 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    Always thought that Giants team was all Belichick and not the over rated Parcells(I’m sure it’s debatable – just my opinion). Loved Belichic until you learn that ever single championship is scared by some cheating tactic. Which makes you wonder if he did those “cheating” things back in the 80’s……

  11. 11 Mac said at 11:44 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    I was talking with a local pizza shop owner (who is a cowboys fan) on Tuesday about Buddy Ryan. I brought up the body bag game, and could immediately tell that there was respect there from him… The Eagles defense in that era is unparalleled and a thing of beauty and sheer destruction to behold. A true, enemy of my enemy is my friend kind of thing going on.

    We came to the conclusion that this era of NFC East football represents the most dominant division in football history. Any objections?

  12. 12 Media Mike said at 7:10 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    They hired Buddy early in 1986 shortly after my 9th birthday. He was instant excitement for the team.

    You always wonder what 1987 would have been like had the owners not used scab players and simply cancelled all 4 games while the players were on strike. Those scabs cost the Eagles a playoff run that might have helped them out in future playoff losses.

  13. 13 P_P_K said at 8:17 AM on June 29th, 2016:

    As Tommy points out, in the 30-for-30 on the ’85 Bears it becomes apparent that Buddy did have a powerful connection with many of his players. Spiritual, fatherly and, dare I say it, loving. I’m posting a one minute clip from the film of a retired Mike Singeltary speaking about Buddy.
    What was special about Buddy’s time with the Eagles is that nearly the whole fan base felt this kind of connection with him. For me, this part of the magic, the intangible, the nearly damn miraculous aspect of sports that rarely takes place. It’s impossible to rationally explain but you know it when it hits.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVop8gIW3iE

  14. 14 P_P_K said at 2:28 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    A lot of guys must be on vacation. I thought this thread would have a gazillion comments. I mean, ask any random person, “Who is Buddy?” In a second, you’ll know the Eagles fan.

  15. 15 BobSmith77 said at 3:38 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    It is the week before a long 4th of July weekend. Traffic has been light around town this week.

  16. 16 P_P_K said at 6:40 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    You’re probably right.

  17. 17 Ben said at 3:47 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    I loved that 46D Buddy orchestrated here and that front four has to be the best D line to ever play on the NFL, and even today it’s not even close.
    Used to love watching Reggie literally tossing 300+ pound O-linemen around like they were a 10 lb. sack of potatoes.
    We didn’t know how good we had it, until it was gone.
    RIP Buddy.

  18. 18 BobSmith77 said at 4:02 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    I loved those late 80s/early 90s Eagles’ teams because of the players but I was never a big fan of Buddy Ryan. Maybe it was because I grew in a household where my dad/uncle (who took to a several games during that tenure) weren’t braggadocio-types but more quiet, earnest types who led by example with their work ethic. One was white collar (my father) and the other (my uncle) who was blue collar.

    It is also probably why my favorite players on those Eagles’ teams were the quiet, underappreciated guys including Evans and Hopkins who weren’t big-mouths or cheap-shot artists but never left you with any doubt that they gave you everything they had.

    My most vivid memory in regards of Buddy though is what happened in the week run up before the ’90 NFC playoff game at the Vet with the Skins. All week the Eagles’ players and especially Buddy ran their mouths. Buddy brought up the Body Bag game, said Byner would fumble 3 times, and essentially called Rypien a loser. Before the game, Buddy was talking about how the Eagles were going to match up with the 49ers the next week in SF. Gibbs basically refused to comment and respond all week & ordered his players to do the same.

    I never felt more confident (even at 13 in 8th grade) that not only would the Skins cover with the points but that they would win the game outright. I was confident and made a ton of bets with classmates/friends risking a lot of Christmas money and even a Nintendo game or two in the process.

    Well, when all was said and done the Skins dominated the Eagles after a slow start. What was most telling to me though was how after that game Ryan essentially refused to really stand and shake hands with Gibbs. Also was mealy-mouthed during the post-game too when the Philly media came down hard on him & the Eagles’ poor performance.

    Gibbs on the other hand wasn’t boastful even after the game. It thought me an awful lot about big-mouth braggarts and those who actually get things done. It was also really nice to clean up from a bunch of my classmates too.

  19. 19 P_P_K said at 6:47 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    I get what you’re saying, Gibbs provides a better role model. He was, and is, a class act and a gentleman from A – Z. I respect him for that, But Buddy was Philly and, for all his outlandish ways, we love him. He’s like the crazy Uncle that drinks a wee too much at family gatherings.

  20. 20 BobSmith77 said at 4:18 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Buddy’s tenure as the coach here ended after the ’90 NFC Wildcard loss but the real end of the Buddy Ryan era was in Dallas in ’92.

    I really thought that the Eagles were going to give the ‘Boys a tough game even if they weren’t likely to win. If they were able to force a few turnovers, they might even pull off the upset.

    Instead, the Boys just methodically crushed the Eagles on both sides of the ball as they were in the ascendancy of their early ’90s dynasty. Lots of Eagles’ fans always site the playoff lose in the NFC Championship to the Bucs at the Vet, the ’04 Super Bowl loss, or even the loss to the Panthers in the NFC Championship game but to me this was still the most crushing Eagles’ loss.

    I knew that the core of the team I had enjoyed so much growing up was finally finished, that it was going to be Reggie’s last game as an Eagles’ fan, and that Randall’s future as the QB was very much in doubt. I still remember Reggie sitting by himself late in the 4th quarter on the bench with a towel partially over his head with an utter look of dejection.

    Plus, it was the early ’90s Boys who were so easily to loathe and dislike including their coach and several prominent players.

  21. 21 unhinged said at 4:56 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    I was so angry by that loss. Seems like greatness offers no ego protection when you’re on the losing end. Today’s media builds up the current Dallas OL as if it is something special, and it ain’t. Good, yes. That OL that Jimmy Johnson assembled in Dallas was definitely the real deal. A kid from Philadelphia named Erik Williams (Bartram High) was the right tackle that yielded very little QB access to Reggie. The “Big E” was massive, agile and nasty, and perhaps the only reason he is not in the HOF is because he was in a serious car accident in his prime. I don’t mean to speak well of a Cowboy, especially when the subject is Buddy Ryan, but I’d bet that Buddy would have spent serious capital to get his hands on an OL beast like Williams.

  22. 22 BobSmith77 said at 6:29 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Yup. Erik Williams was one of the few tackles ever who not only could go one-on-one with Reggie but win most that matchup.

    Reggie couldn’t intimidate him either even if he would use his patented club move or shove him.

  23. 23 Jarock said at 6:39 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    92 is when I graduated high school and I thought it was the Eagles year. We destroyed Dallas early that year and they just looked young that game. Instead, it was the beginning of a hated dynasty and what is really the most dominant OL I ever remember seeing. Today’s Dallas OL can’t touch the 90’s one 😛

  24. 24 Media Mike said at 6:55 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    That 4-0 start capped by the demolition of Dallas was awesome. Then they had the poop the bed choke in KC that totally spiraled that season downwards.

  25. 25 Jamie Parker said at 8:02 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    We got royally screwed by the refs in GB and SF that year. We should’ve been 13-3, at least. Win those 2 games, and we win the division with a better conf record. (Cowboys lost to the Eagles, Rams, and Skins). Things might have ended differently. However, the lack of Jerome Brown in the middle might have allowed them to keep running on us.

  26. 26 Media Mike said at 6:48 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Brown’s death enabled Dallas to run the ball vs. the Eagles.

  27. 27 unhinged said at 5:01 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Dan Hampton has a nice remembrance on Pro Football Weekly: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2016/06/28/dan-hampton-there-will-never-be-another-buddy-ryan/agsy4c0/

  28. 28 Jarock said at 6:41 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Jim Johnson helped make Andy Reid the very good coach he was for this tenure in Philly. Buddy never had anything close to that on the other side of the ball. Even a merely average offensive coordinator might have turned the late 80’s Eagles into SB winners. Buddy’s defense was that good.

  29. 29 Media Mike said at 6:51 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    There were a few things holding Buddy back. Not having a strong OC / QB coach combo to get Cunningham to play the game the right way was brutal. The numb skull approach to the O-line was also brutal.

  30. 30 Eagle Talon said at 8:56 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Agreed We had a Superbowl defense, a near Superbowl cat if offensive playmakers, and a high school o line.

  31. 31 Jamie Parker said at 7:49 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    The had the #3 ranked offense in the league in 1990, in yards and points. Randall not only had 942 rushing yds that season, he also had 3466 passing yds and 30 TD’s. They had a lot of weapons at Randall’s disposal.

  32. 32 daveH said at 8:10 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Vic throws the most perfect best spiral of all time… ha not much but that is 1

  33. 33 FairOaks said at 3:15 AM on June 30th, 2016:

    Vick was an absolutely ridiculous runner. Cunningham wasn’t anywhere near that level (nor was McNabb). But he was still plenty good, and Cunningham was an amazing escape artist (granted he got lots and lots of practice).

    The beginning of the end sort of came when the Rams in the playoffs figured out they could let him sit in the pocket all day long and he wouldn’t beat them — you just had to stop him from scrambling. He needed to at least learn the basics of QB pocket play, but by that point all the media attention, the contract, etc., convinced him he was as good as he needed to be.

    Of course, Kotite (and Gruden after him) really wanted more of a pure pocket QB, or at least a West Coast many-short-accurate-passes kind of guy, which was absolutely the wrong way to use Randall, and he gradually withered on the vine here. It was amazing to see him that one season with the Vikings, when he was able to play in the pocket when needed. If only there was a coach who could have gotten that through to him many years earlier…

  34. 34 D3FB said at 7:37 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Andrew Luck got PAAAAAAAIIIIIID

  35. 35 P_P_K said at 7:45 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    From now on, D3FB, when we go out with Luck, he’s treating.

  36. 36 Insomniac said at 8:54 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Jim Irsay is not a bright man.

  37. 37 Media Mike said at 9:00 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    That’s going rate for a quality QB. What else would you have them do? The deal is likely to be passed sooner or later anyway.

  38. 38 Insomniac said at 9:06 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    The going rate was lower.

  39. 39 Media Mike said at 9:07 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Not for a guy of that level. The multiple years of exclusive rights franchise tags on him wouldn’t have been worth how low he’ll count vs. the cap in years 4 through 6 of the deal.

  40. 40 Insomniac said at 9:12 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Nah, Irsay overpaid for the sake of overpaying. He still doesn’t have an OL for Luck, money well spent? Not really.

  41. 41 Media Mike said at 9:14 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    I’d offer that Grigson’s generally level of stupidity in player eval has been the bigger issue, but that’s the overall problem with franchise QBs and the rest of the roster. It is really hard to win a title with a guy earning top dollar at the QB spot.

  42. 42 Insomniac said at 9:17 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    I’m pretty sure they factored that in so they don’t have to pay Luck that 40mil guaranteed injury money if he continues to get destroyed by not having an OL and run game.

  43. 43 Media Mike said at 9:18 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Funny thing with those “guarantees”

  44. 44 Media Mike said at 9:17 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    http://overthecap.com/player/andrew-luck/538/

    I don’t think the cap charges get onerous here until 2018, but having a QB count $24 mil vs. a cap that’ll be between $185 and $190 million that year is the end of the world. Even the $28 million charges in 2019 and 2020 are going to be on caps that are in the $200 million + range.

  45. 45 Insomniac said at 9:18 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/06/29/the-full-andrew-luck-contract/

    full breakdown is here. It’s not all that bad but breaking the QB market for no good reason is the kind of dumb shit Irsay likes to brag about.

  46. 46 Media Mike said at 9:19 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    He certainly is something the heck else.

  47. 47 P_P_K said at 9:42 AM on June 30th, 2016:

    Bet Wentz is paying attention.

  48. 48 Jamie Parker said at 7:43 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Buddy is the reason I’m so passionate about this team. And he made the Eagles the top team in town for good.
    However, another Buddy, Bud Carson, took Buddy’s defense to another level.

  49. 49 Eagle Talon said at 8:30 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Buddy Ryan and his players would not be allowed to play in the tampon league they call today’s NFL.

  50. 50 Bert's Bells said at 8:33 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    You realize tampons are used for menstruation? You understand that’s one bad ass thing that women do every month and is tougher than just about anything the average internet bro will do his whole life?

  51. 51 Eagle Talon said at 8:45 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Stfu with the political correct bullshit.

  52. 52 Media Mike said at 8:46 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Seriously?

  53. 53 daveH said at 10:07 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    “Safe place”- is funny .. im not exactly positive wher that comes from but i appreciate it

  54. 54 Aaron said at 10:08 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    first

  55. 55 Bert's Bells said at 11:09 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    He got it when his AM dial slipped off 610.

  56. 56 Bert's Bells said at 8:57 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Shouldn’t you be cheering on Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Jameis Winston you woman-hating piece of garbage?

  57. 57 Eagle Talon said at 9:00 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    If that is what you read out of it. I’m sorry to offend you. Now go to your safe place.

  58. 58 Media Mike said at 9:02 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Really?

  59. 59 Aaron said at 10:10 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    this aint TATE, you moron

  60. 60 Eagle Talon said at 9:04 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Besides you don’t know me. I could be a women. All I’m saying is the rule changes took the nastiness away from defense as it once was. Watch game from 97 to the beginning and compare them to today’s shit. Totally different game, and today’s game is tailored to fantasy football.

  61. 61 Media Mike said at 9:06 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    You could just call it soft or infantile.

  62. 62 Eagle Talon said at 9:09 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    I could, but I wouldn’t be telling it how I really feel.

  63. 63 Bert's Bells said at 9:45 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    You “could be a woman”, I guess.

    Maybe you shouldn’t watch NFL anymore since it’s too womanly and you have a problem with that.

    What do you call a female internet tough guy, anyway?

  64. 64 BC1968 said at 10:42 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    I’m sure the families of Dave Duerson and Andre Waters would appreciate your comment.

  65. 65 Jamie Parker said at 11:09 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    If Andre Waters couldn’t play the way he did, he wouldn’t have played at all. As Boomer Esiason once said, “That #20 couldn’t cover a lick.”

  66. 66 Jamie Parker said at 11:13 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    It’s true though. You watch the highlights from back then and you know there are flags everywhere on some of those hits today. Eric Allen might be suspended for his hit that laid out Ernest Givens.

  67. 67 BC1968 said at 10:40 PM on June 29th, 2016:

    Did I make this up or did Buddy really say this? He was asked about the feeling on the sideline when everyone found out there was a death threat against one of the players. He said the best the thing to do was to stay the hell away from the guy.
    Hilarious, but I can’t find the exact situation or quote when he said it, just going by memory. If not then shit, even in my dreams Buddy Ryan was awesome.

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