Buddy Ryan, defensive mastermind, has died at age 85

Legendary defensive mastermind Buddy Ryan, 85, has died according to multiple media reports. The Chicago Bears later confirmed the news.

James David "Buddy" Ryan won two Super Bowls as an assistant coach and is perhaps best known as the architect and coordinator of the dominant Bears' "46" defensive scheme that was revolutionized in the mid-1980s and earned the Bears their last title under head coach Mike Ditka in Super Bowl XX 30 years ago.

Fiery, stubborn and irascible, the Korean War vet Ryan coached 35 years in the NFL — and was head coach of both the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals — and eventually earned the respect of many of his players with his old-school mentality. He passed on his knowledge to many current NFL coaches, including sons Rex and Rob, the head coach and defensive assistant with the Buffalo Bills. Jeff Fisher also played for Ryan, who helped him transition into coaching during an injury-shortened season.

Battling cancer for years and previously confined to a wheelchair, the ailing Buddy Ryan still was able to see Rex's Bills coaching debut last fall, which was an emotional moment for both.

The "46" flooded the line of scrimmage and put pressure on quarterbacks — relentless, blitzing pressure. Ryan was known for his great defensive fronts. He was known for his dislike of quarterbacks, so he made it his mission to take them down as his main defensive goal. This tidbit demonstrates that — and that QB hatred — fairly well.

The scheme was named in the early 1980s for the uniform number of hard-hitting Bears safety Doug Plank, who was brought in as a pseudo-linebacker, playing up in the box. The Bears started playing eight in the box regularly, with man-to-man coverage on the outside and one deep safety, and could send as many as eight men toward the line of scrimmage to stop the run or attack the quarterback.

The main thrust of the defense: Just try to block all of us. Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh called the "46" the singularly best defensive innovation to football he had seen in years and spent entire offseasons trying to find weaknesses in it.

During the Bears' Super Bowl run, the team lost only one regular-season game and allowed a mere 434 yards in three playoff games. Until a meaningless touchdown late in Super Bowl XX by New England Patriots receiver Irving Fryar, the Bears had a TD-less streak of more than 166 minutes in those playoffs. In what might have been a first, both coordinator and head coach, Ryan and Ditka, were carried off the Louisiana Superdome field on the shoulders of the players — Ryan by Bears defenders Otis Wilson and Richard Dent, the latter of whom was named the game's MVP, only the fourth time that had happened in 20 years.

After the Super Bowl (winning the game, no less, by scoring 46 points), Ryan took over the Eagles' head-coaching job in 1986. He compiled a 55-55-1 record in seven seasons as a head coach. He also won a title as a defensive coach with the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. Ryan also was a defensive coordinator for both the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Oilers. His time with the Oilers was marred by controversy when he hit fellow coach Kevin Gilbride, which showed the bad side of Ryan's temper.

Ryan was viewed as a flawed head coach because of his relative indifference for coaching the offensive side of the ball and his inability to adjust his schemes at times to a changing NFL that was predicated on a quick passing game. Ryan led the Eagles to three playoff appearances but never won a postseason game.

His 1990s Cardinals staff featured both Rex and Rob on his staff, the last time the twins coached together until this year. After his NFL career ended, Buddy Ryan retired to his horse farm in Kentucky and battled multiple bouts of cancer but still took in visitors — whether it was former players coming to see their old coach, media members curious about the "46" or visits from family.

Earlier this offseason, the Ryan brothers told The MMQB that they were all in on this season and dedicating it to their ailing father. They said they hoped their father could watch their first game together with the Bills, but that's not possible now.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm