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November 20, 2007 - - Buddy Ryan and his two sons Rob and Rex may not be the first family of coaching, but they are certainly ahead of the pack when it comes to defensive coaching.
Buddy Ryan was the bombastic defensive coach who is known for being the architect of the Bears’ marauding 46 defense that led to a Super Bowl title following the 1985 season. He also served as head coach of the Eagles and Cardinals and gained a spot in football infamy as a defensive coordinator of the Houston Oilers when he smacked offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride with a roundhouse right -- in full view of the fans and the television cameras -- following an ill-conceived play call.
His twin sons Rob and Rex have gone on to write their own legacies as defensive coaches in the NFL. Both preach an aggressive style like their dad, but neither man is as demonstrative or outspoken when dealing with the media.
“Dad did a lot of great things as a coach in the NFL,” said Rex. “But one of them was not dealing with the press. I often thought he was not very respectful of the media and he did not help himself with some of the things he said or some of the things he did. I think both Rob and I have many of the same coaching philosophies as Dad, but we don’t necessarily act like him.”
James David “Buddy” Ryan had one major belief as a defensive coordinator and later as a head coach: He wanted to pressure the opposing quarterback at all costs, and make sure his own passer was protected. He learned that perspective as an assistant coach on the N.Y. Jets under Weeb Ewbank during the 1960s.
“Most people thought of Weeb as some sort of offensive genius,” Ryan explained. “I don’t know about that, but he was one smart football coach and he understood offensive football. Everything he did on offense revolved around protecting the quarterback. If his quarterback was upright and had room in the pocket, he could make plays.
“So that got me to thinking. If it was so important to protect the quarterback on offense, that meant it was just as important to get to the quarterback on defense. All of my defenses were designed to put maximum pressure on the quarterback and we would never back down. If the offense protected with six men, we brought seven. If they protected with seven; we brought eight.”
He put that philosophy to work with the Jets and Vikings before cementing his reputation with the Bears. Ryan believes that he had the perfect combination of players to match his philosophy when the Bears rolled to a 15-1 record in 1985 and then eviscerated the Giants, Rams and Patriots on their championship run.
“I could count on those guys to do all the right things and make big plays,” Ryan said. “Guys like (Dan) Hampton, (Steve) McMichael, (Mike) Singletary, (Wilber) Marshall and (
With a defense that could bring pressure, force turnovers and create big plays, Ryan always said he did not need to be with an offensive juggernaut in order to win games.
“All I wanted from the offense was to hold its own and not lose the game for us. If they could get a few first downs, maybe a touchdown here or there and not turn the ball over, I knew we could win.”
However, if Ryan was working with an offensive gameplanner who wanted to go for the throat or massage his own ego with a lot of risky passes, he got angry.
“The whole idea is to win the game,” Ryan said. “Why would you want to risk anything when you already had the game won. That’s what would make me angry.”
Ryan’s comments explained his battle with Gilbride and his memorable feud with Mike Ditka. Iron Mike was the head coach of the legendary Bears Super Bowl championship team and the two were anything but friends. Ryan knew he was the architect of the defense and that Ditka was riding along on his coattails. Ditka thought Ryan was an egotistical blowhard.
While their dad was figuring out ways to defeat the most dominant offenses in the game, twins Rob and Rex Ryan were learning the finer points of defensive strategy from their dad. Both were hired as assistant coaches by their father when he became head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 1994 and both were let go were than father was fired at the end of the 1995 season.
Many NFL observers thought the Ryans had gotten the job because of their father and would never be able to get another job in the NFL without him.
“Of course we got the jobs because of dad,” explained Rob Ryan, now the defensive coordinator of the Raiders. “But both of us kept working and making our own reputations.”
After being dumped by the Cardinals, Rob Ryan worked his way back up the ladder by starting as defensive coordinator of
The Raiders won only 11 games in Ryan’s first three full seasons, but the defense gained a reputation as a hard-working, speedy unit that played 60 minutes each week no matter what the deficit. During their 2-14 season in 2006, the Raiders were third in overall defense and 1st in the league against the pass.
Rex Ryan served as the defensive coordinator for the
“We like to attack people,” Rex Ryan said. “We like to dictate the pace of the a football game and we don’t like it when an opponent tries to do that.”
As a result of that thought process, Ryan is thought of as one of the most aggressive and innovative coaches in the NFL. The Ravens have been at or near the top of the NFL’s defensive rankings since he was hired in 1999 and he may soon have an opportunity to become a head coach of his own team.
The same holds true for Rob, whose reputation for excellence and innovation is growing every year.
The Ryan brothers are following in their father’s footsteps, but they are clearly casting their own shadows.
Defense is clearly a family affair for the very successful Ryan clan.
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Story courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc.