• Buddy Ryan, 85:
Oilers’ defensive coordinator in 1993 left lasting impression on everyone
John McClain remembers the famously combative NFL defensive genius.
Oilers defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan blew through Houston like a hurricane in 1993, creating chaos and leaving behind a trail of controversy that contributed to the most tumultuous season in NFL history.
Ryan — cocky, stubborn and divisive — generated turmoil in the locker room, divided the coaching staff with his banty rooster behavior but inspired undying loyalty among his defensive players.
From their 1-4 start to an 11-game winning streak that produced a 12-4 finish and an AFC Central title, the Oilers were Team Turmoil — a soap opera that transcended football and captured the attention of fans who followed their escapades on every network.
Ryan’s constant criticism of the run-and-shoot offense, Babygate, defensive tackle Jeff Alm’s suicide, quarterback Warren Moon’s benching and Ryan throwing a sideline punch at offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride in a nationally televised game against the New York Jets kept the Oilers in the nightly news and often the lead story.
And it was Ryan who was anchored in the eye of the hurricane.
His death Tuesday at 85 brought back a storehouse of memories for those who played for him and covered him.
“He was possibly the greatest defensive mind in history,” defensive tackle Ray Childress said. “His message was simple: Get the quarterback.”
Added strong safety Bubba McDowell, “Buddy was a genuine legend. You loved him or hated him, but you always respected him because he was one of the greatest defensive coaches in history.
“Buddy was like a second father to his defensive players. We would have done anything for him. I
was honored to play for him.”
Ryan came to Houston in a most unusual fashion: Head coach Jack Pardee wasn’t consulted on his hiring.
The Oilers had been to the playoffs for six consecutive seasons but had failed to reach the AFC Championship Game, much less a Super Bowl. They had one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL.
After they blew a 1991 playoff game at Denver, general manager Mike Holovak wanted to fire defensive coordinator Jim Eddy. Pardee wanted to keep Eddy. They went to owner Bud Adams, who sided with the head coach.
After the Oilers choked in the infamous Buffalo playoff game the next season, Eddy was fired. Holovak and Ryan had worked together with the New York Jets. Ryan was residing on his Kentucky horse farm when he got a call from Holovak.
Best opportunity
Holovak told Ryan he wouldn’t get another opportunity to be a head coach unless he excelled as a defensive coordinator again. Holovak reminded Ryan of how he went from Chicago’s defensive coordinator who helped win Super Bowl XX to Philadelphia’s head coach for five seasons.
Holovak told Ryan about the Oilers’ great defense that was loaded with talent but needed the right coach.
Ryan came to Houston and spent a day interviewing with Adams and Holovak. Pardee wasn’t part of the process. When he left the office that day, he told reporters in the parking lot, “If they need me, they can call me at home.”
The next day, Adams called Pardee and told him his new defensive coordinator would be dropping by his office. Ryan stuck his head in Pardee’s office and said, “Hi, Jack” before going to his new office.
Because he was hired by the owner and general manager, Ryan considered himself the head coach of the defense. As he used to put it, “It’s my way or Trailways.”
After he was hired, Ryan went to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl as the guest of his former Bears middle linebacker, Mike Singletary, who had been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
I remember interviewing Ryan by the pool at the Pro Bowl hotel. He ripped the run-and-shoot, calling it the chuck-andduck. His criticism of the Oilers’ offense wasn’t new. He had blasted the run-and-shoot as the Eagles’ head coach.
Ryan was old school. He believed in a tight end and fullback in shortyardage and goal-line situations, as well as when the offense needed to run the clock.
Ryan was confident in his ability. As a defensive line coach, he won two AFL titles with Buffalo and a Super Bowl III ring with the Jets. He lost a Super Bowl with Minnesota.
As the defensive coordinator, Ryan’s 1985 defense at Chicago may have been the most dominant in history.
Consistent criticism
Ryan’s criticism of the Oilers’ offense continued through the season. He ripped Gilbride and the offense, and the offensive players blasted Ryan. It built a wall between the players on each side of the ball.
“He tried to get the whole tide to rise,” Childress said. “He wanted everybody to improve.
“Offense and defense are like cats and dogs. Do they always get along? No.”
Defensive end Sean Jones, who was in his sixth season with the Oilers, was known as a free thinker who marched to his own drummer, so to speak. One of the first things Ryan did was to name him as a captain.
“He trusted me, and I always appreciated in him believing in me,” Jones said Tuesday. “He was brilliant and innovative. He loved his guys, and we loved him.”
The Oilers got off to a slow start. They were 1-4 when they went to New England, where Moon was benched for the only time in his career. Offensive tackle David Williams didn’t make the trip because he wanted to be present for the birth of his first child. Babygate was born.
Quarterback Cody Carlson was injured running for a touchdown. Moon came off the bench to ignite a victory. The Oilers didn’t lose again despite turmoil in the locker room and on the field.
Ryan could be disrespectful of Pardee, who played linebacker for 15 years and had been the head coach at Chicago and Washington.
After one practice, Pardee granted Gilbride’s request to work on the two-minute drill. The defense intercepted a pass, and Ryan told his players practice was over, to head to the locker room. Gilbride asked Pardee to keep them on the field, but the head coach didn’t intervene.
Later in the season, after Ryan took shots at the offense, receiver Ernest Givins went off on the defensive coordinator. When Ryan was asked about Givins’ criticism, he responded with “Who’s Ernest Givins?” with a sly smile.
“I didn’t agree with some of his methods, but he was a hell of a coach,” Givins said. “He was hard-nosed and dedicated to having the best defense possible. “God bless his family.” The Oilers’ flagship radio station was KTRH. On his weekly Thursday night show, Ryan would criticize Gilbride and the offense.
Gilbride had a Friday night show. He was forced to defend himself and the offense every week in response to Ryan’s jabs.
The Ryan-Gilbride controversy finally exploded in the last regular-season game against the Jets. It was televised by ESPN.
Reaction not surprising
The Oilers shut out the Jets and knocked out the starting quarterback for the 11th consecutive game. But right before halftime, the Oilers were throwing, and the Jets intercepted a pass. Ryan went ballistic that Gilbride was throwing and went after the offensive coordinator on the sideline.
Ryan threw a punch at Gilbride, but receiver Curtis Duncan pulled them apart.
“If Curtis hadn’t stepped in and broke them up, I think Kevin would have beaten the crap out of Buddy,” Givins said.
The players weren’t surprised at Ryan’s reaction.
“That had been brewing for a long time,” Jones said. “Buddy ticked some people off, but he did it for a reason.
“He antagonized the offense because he wanted them to be better. He knew how to push the right buttons, how to motivate players.”
Gilbride had undergone surgery to remove a cancerous kidney. After Ryan left, he said, “I beat cancer twice — my kidney and Buddy.”
Even though Ryan had the best defense in the NFL, the Oilers blew another lead in the playoffs, losing to Kansas City before the largest crowd in Astrodome history.
Ryan turned that 1993 season into another head coaching job, but he lasted only two seasons at Arizona.
Although he was in Houston for only one season, Ryan left an indelible imprint on the Oilers and the city that will never be forgotten.