Tag: Buddy Ryan

Looking back at the only time the Commanders and Eagles met in the playoffs

Looking back at the one time Washington and Philadelphia met in the playoffs.

Being in the NFC East, both Washington and Philadelphia have only met once in NFL playoff history despite a 90-year history of playing one another.

It was the 1990 season. The Redskins were coached by Joe Gibbs, who had played in four NFC Championship games, winning three and winning two of three Super Bowls, since Gibbs had arrived in 1981.

Buddy Ryan, the defensive coordinator for the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears, became the Eagles’ head coach in 1986.

The 1990 games were brutally physical. Washington won in RFK (13-7) and then lost 28-14 on MNF in Veterans Stadium in what Ryan called “the body bag game.”

Eagle fans loved that description and reminder of how several Redskins players were severely injured in the game. However, Gibbs and his Redskins had to live with that description for the next seven weeks.

Both teams would finish 1990 at 10-6 and were scheduled to meet on January 5, 1991, in the first round of the playoffs. The game would be played in Philadelphia.

Roger Ruzek kicked two early field goals, providing the Eagles an early 6-0 lead. But Washington would have Mark Rypien find Art Monk from 16 yards, and Chip Lohmiller’s field goal gave the Redskins a 10-6 halftime lead.

The third quarter was all Washington, as Chip Lohmiller’s field goal and Rypien’s short TD pass to Gary Clark extended the Redskins lead to 20-6.

The Eagles, who were a 4.5-point favorite, did not score again as the Redskins dominated the second half to win by that 20-6 margin. Washington’s offensive line protected Rypien, as he was never sacked. While the Redskins’ defense sacked Randall Cunningham five times, and Darrell Green intercepted him once. Cunningham had a miserable day, finishing with a passer rating of only 60.3.

The Redskins got their revenge for Ryan’s “body bag game” boast. Ryan cowardly would not face Joe Gibbs for a postgame handshake, fleeing in embarrassment.

Perhaps the icing on the cake was hearing three days later that Eagles owner Norman Braman had seen and heard enough of Buddy Ryan’s antics and fired him, having never won a playoff game for the Eagles.

 

Commanders HC Dan Quinn is fired up for Washington-Dallas week

It’s Dallas week. Dan Quinn is fired up.

Dan Quinn remembers well when the Cowboys and Redskins were a big deal.

Quinn was born in 1970 and raised in New Jersey. He has said on more than one occasion that he grew up watching the NFC East.

He recalls the Giants’ Bill Parcells’s two Super Bowl teams, the Cowboys coached by Tom Landry, the Eagles by Buddy Ryan, and the Redskins by Joe Gibbs.

Regarding the Week 12 match-up this week of the Cowboys coming to Washington, Quinn wasn’t shy Wednesday with the media, saying, “For me and for the guys, man, it’s like, Washington-Dallas Week, let’s get down.”

Whether Quinn watched, in particular, the Cowboys at Redskins 1982 championship game, I don’t know. But the fact he referred to this week as “Washington-Dallas Week” reveals in itself that Quinn does have a knowledge of the rivalry and what it was 40 years ago.

The Cowboys won two Super Bowls in the 70s with QB Roger Staubach at quarterback and the “Doomsday defense.”  QB Danny White never had a Doomsday defense when he led the team to three consecutive NFC Championship games before losing all three, the last to the Redskins in 1982.

The Redskins won the NFC East three consecutive seasons (1982-84), and went to four Super Bowls under Gibbs (1981-92) winning three, along the way winning and losing some big games to the Cowboys.

Quinn was asked Wednesday what the game means for the former Cowboys and his message to them.

“I haven’t talked to them much different about that. You probably know from now, I don’t make one [game] too often bigger than another. I just think they’re all really important and we absolutely go after it as hard as we can.”

But of course, Quinn is more than aware that NFL divisional rivals are more intense regular season games.

 

10 best head coaches in Eagles’ franchise history

We’re ranking the 10 best head coaches in Philadelphia Eagles franchise history ahead of 2023 training camp

Philadelphia has a storied NFL franchise, but the history of head coaches reads like a list of unfinished business and mediocre shelf lives.

One of the gold standard organizations in the league, the Eagles only have eight coaches to win a playoff game in franchise history, with Doug Pederson and Nick Sirianni adding to the list over the past five years.

With training camp for 2023 fast approaching, we’re ranking the top ten head coaches in franchise history from top to bottom.

Our list includes coaches who coached at least 15 games as an Eagles head coach. In our book, wins and losses are essential, but not the only factor determining the ranking.

Throwback Thursday: ’85 Bears lose only game of the season vs. Dolphins

In this week’s Throwback Thursday, the Bears were shocked by the Dolphins, losing their only game of their legendary 1985 season.

Every Thursday throughout the 2021 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Chicago Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.

December 2nd, 1985: Chicago Bears get shocked by the Miami Dolphins, lose only game of the season to end undefeated streak

When it comes to the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, there weren’t many blemishes from that special season. In fact, there’s really just one game that stands out in a negative way. I’m talking, of course, about the prime-time loss to the Miami Dolphins that ended the undefeated season.

The Bears were still without starting quarterback Jim McMahon, who had missed the last three weeks due to an injury, meaning Steve Fuller would once again get the start. But the matchup everyone wanted to see was the Bears’ suffocating defense against Dan Marino. Surprisingly, Marino won this battle in a knockout.

Miami decided to roll Marino out of the pocket more frequently to avoid the Bears pass rush and it worked to perfection. Marino was able to easily connect with his receivers and struck first, finding Nat Moore for a 33-yard touchdown. Fuller and the Bears responded in kind, scoring a touchdown of their own when the quarterback called his own number to get into the endzone. Unlike the Bears previous two games where they combined to shutout their opponents 80-0, they knew this one was going to be different.

Early in the second quarter, the Dolphins kept coming and took a 17-7 lead, putting the Bears in a spot they’re not accustomed to being in. By halftime, the Dolphins had this game wrapped up, leading 31-10. The mood was tense in Chicago’s locker room, with reports of head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan going at it after Ditka tried to meddle in defensive affairs, which Ryan didn’t appreciate.

Chicago trimmed the lead early in the third quarter thanks to another Fuller touchdown run, but the Dolphins responded right away with their own scoring drive to keep their 21-point lead. Marino had himself a day, throwing for 270 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. It was the best performance a quarterback had against the legendary defense.

Though Fuller finally threw a passing touchdown later in the quarter, he was removed near the end of the game for McMahon. Fuller finished the day 11-for-21 with 169 yards, one touchdown and two picks. McMahon also threw an interception, attempting just six passes. The only standout offensive performer was Walter Payton, who accumulated 121 yards on 23 carries.

The Bears wound up losing 38-24 for their one and only loss of the 1985 season. To make matters more interesting, they recorded their famous “Super Bowl Shuffle” the very next day, despite some concerns about the optics coming off a loss. It turned out to be the thing they needed though, as they wouldn’t lose another game en route to their first Super Bowl title.

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Throwback Thursday: Randall Cunningham’s 91-yard punt vs. Giants in 1989

In the latest Giants Wire Throwback Thursday, we head to 1989 when Eagles QB Randall Cunningham unleashed a 91-yard punt against the Giants.

In 1989, the rivalry between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles was at a fever pitch. The Giants, led by head coach Bill Parcells, had won the Super Bowl three years earlier and were a top contender again after two disappointing seasons.

The Eagles, under head coach Buddy Ryan, had become a force in the NFC, winning the NFC East in 1988, and had designs of repeating when they invaded Giants Stadium on Dec. 3.

The Giants were in first place by a game with a 9-3 record. Philadelphia came in at 8-4. A win would give the Eagles sole possession of first place since they had already beaten the Giants, 21-19, at home in Week 5.

The showdown was on. The Eagles were ready. The Giants were not.

Philadelphia took an early 14-0 lead on two defensive touchdowns. The first was on a strip-sack by Reggie White and the second was when defensive lineman Clyde Simmons snatched a Phil Simms pass out of the air and then rumbled 60 yards to daylight.

The Giants narrowed the score to 14-7 on a 41-yard strike from Simms to Mark Ingram in the first quarter. Simms would get picked off again in the second quarter, which led to a field goal and a 17-7 halftime lead for the Eagles.

The Giants scored the first 10 points in the second half to tie the game at 17. Then this happened, as recounted by Frank Litzky of The New York Times:

Early in the fourth quarter, the Giants almost broke the 17-17 tie when Erik Howard sacked Cunningham and drove him into the Eagles’ end zone. The officials spotted the ball on the 2-yard line, making it fourth down and 33 yards to go for a first down.

Usually, Max Runager would have punted for the Eagles. But Cunningham, an outstanding punter in college, told Coach Buddy Ryan of the Eagles he wanted to punt, and Ryan let him.

It was a good decision. The ball sailed to the Giants’ 39 and bounced to the 7 before an apparently baffled (Dave) Meggett picked it up and returned it 9 yards.

Two plays later, the Giants gave up the ball again. (Mike) Golic sacked Simms and stripped the ball, and Mike Pitts recovered for the Eagles on the Giants’ 7-yard line. Three plays later, from the 2, (running back Keith) Byars squirmed into the end zone for the winning touchdown.

The Giants lost, 24-17, and sank to second place in the division. They wouldn’t lose another game the rest of the season. Not as much could be said for the Eagles, who lost to New Orleans in Week 15 to fall one game behind the 12-4 Giants at 11-5.

Notes

  • Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor did not play the second half of the game due to a “nondisplaced hairline fracture at the base of the right tibia,” an injury originally thought to be a sprained ankle.
  • Randall Cunningham’s punt officially went for 91 yards and is still the third-longest punt in the history of pro football. The longest punt ever was a 98-yarder by Steve O’Neal of the Jets back in 1969. That is followed by the 93-yarder off the foot of the Patriots’ Shawn McCarthy in 1991.
  • Only two other punts have gone for 90 or more yards. Don Chandler of the Packers blasted a 90-yarder back in 1965, and the Giants’ Rodney Williams punted a ball 90 yards in a game in 2001.

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9 NFL coach-GMs like the Texans’ Bill O’Brien who utterly failed

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien is entering risky territory doubling up as general manager. Here are nine NFL coaches who did so and failed.

In an earlier entry, Texans Wire took a look at nine NFL coaches who doubled up as their teams’ general managers, like Bill O’Brien has done with the Houston Texans, and had success.

Now, here are nine NFL coaches who weren’t so fortunate.

Butch Davis

Photo by Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports (©) Copyright 2004 by Ron Schwane

Davis may have been what the Cleveland Browns needed after returning to the NFL in 1999. Chris Palmer mustered five wins over the first two seasons, and Davis was brought in from the University of Miami to get the Browns at least to where they were in 1994, their last playoff appearance. After going 16-16 the first two seasons, including the organization’s last playoff appearance to date, the Dog Pound got hit with distemper as Cleveland followed up with a 5-11 record. In 2004, Davis went 3-8 before being fired midseason and replaced by Terry Robiskie.

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Fathers and sons athletes: Who won championships and who came up short?

The Mahomes, Ryans, Mannings and Rivers are some families that have seen fathers and sons have careers in pro sports.

Fathers and sons have dotted the sports landscape, most recently coming to the front as Patrick Mahomes watched his son lead the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl championship. How many dads have won titles and their sons and how many have seen their offspring win when they didn’t?

The Mahomes

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

While Patrick Mahomes pitched in MLB from 1992-2003, he never earned a World Series ring. His son, Patrick Mahomes II, however, will receive a Super Bowl ring for guiding the Chiefs to the NFL Championship.

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The Shanahans and 21 other fathers and sons who became coaches/managers

Mike and Kyle Shanahan are one of a number of father-son tandems to have coached or managed.

Mike and Kyle Shanahan are a father-son combo that has done well in coaching, for sure. There are many sons that have followed their dad’s careers.

Eddie, Scott and Sean Sutton

Phil Carter-USA TODAY Sports

The Suttons have held many jobs in college basketball. Eddie was the head coach of Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, and University of San Francisco. He has taken two schools (Arkansas and Oklahoma State) to the Final Four, and was the first coach to lead four schools to the NCAA tournament. Sean Sutton was a head coach of Oklahoma State University and Scott Sutton coached Oral Roberts University,

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