You knew when Buddy Ryan walked off the concrete-like carpet at Veterans Stadium on that chilly January day in 1991 that you were never going to see anyone in charge of the Eagles quite like him again. The only difference of opinions was whether that was a good thing or a bad one.
The debates were waged in bar rooms and locker rooms. They dominated the newspaper coverage and radio air waves. They continue even today after Ryan died in Kentucky Tuesday morning at the age of 85.
Buddy Ball, the goring brand of defense that brazenly targeted opposing quarterbacks, was the quintessential roller-coaster ride in Philadelphia sports history.