Buddy Ryan's extensive football influence has changed many teams' fortunes, most notably the famed 1985 Chicago Bears, who won the Super Bowl with a tenacious defense. Fifteen years later, Buddy's son, Rex, was the defensive line coach for the 2000 Ravens, who experienced the same fate.
Buddy Ryan died Tuesday at 82. His legacy in football is still apparent, in part through his two sons, Rex and Rob, the head coach and assistant coach for the Buffalo Bills.
Buddy Ryan's 1985 Bears defense and the Ravens' 2000 defense were among the best of all time. The Ravens' was more dominant statistically, giving up 10.3 points per game to the Bears' 12.4 and 247.9 yards per game to the Bears' 258.4. But offense was also scarcer in general in 2000, by 10 yards and 0.8 points per game.
While the Ravens gave up fewer points, the Bears were the more dominant team, in part due to the Ravens' turnover-prone offense. The Ravens slumped to a 5-4 start before reeling off seven straight wins with Trent Dilfer at quarterback. The Bears, meanwhile, finished the regular season 15-1, with the only loss coming against Dan Marino's Miami Dolphins.
Once the teams reached the postseason, both were in peak form. The Bears won three straight by a combined score of 91-10, routing the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, 46-10. The Ravens, after dropping the AFC Central title to the Tennessee Titans, rolled over four straight opponents — the Denver Broncos, Titans, Oakland Raiders and New York Giants — by a combined score of 95-23.
Both defenses led the league in takeaways, the Bears with 54 and the Ravens with 49. And both Buddy and Rex employed vicious front sevens — Richard Dent (17 sacks), Steve McMichael (eight) and William "The Fridge" Perry (five) powered the Bears' defensive line, with Rob Burnett (10.5) and Michael McCrary (6.5) on the Ravens'.
Buddy Ryan moved on from the Bears to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986 to 1990, and Rex Ryan ascended, too, being promoted to defensive coordinator of the Ravens in 2005 and head coach of the New York Jets in 2009.
This year's Ravens won't have to wait until their next encounter with the Ryans. They open the season Sept. 11 against the Buffalo Bills, head coach Rex and assistant coach Rob, the first game Buddy Ryan's sons will coach without their father and mentor.
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