Mike Ditka on Buddy Ryan: No way we win anything without his defense

The scene at the end of Super Bowl XX told the story of a fracture within the Chicago Bears coaching ranks: head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan were each carried off the field.

Ryan controlled his fiefdom and shunned any input from Ditka, who was forced to accept Ryan as a coordinator when he was hired by Hall of Fame owner George Halas in 1982. The "us vs. them" mentality won Ryan respect amongst his defensive players and drew the ire of Ditka.

Ditka struck a consolatory tone Tuesday when news of Ryan’s death was reported. Ryan, who had battled cancer for some time, was 82.

"Buddy was such an integral part of the Chicago Bears and the ‘85 Bears,” Ditka told the NFL Network. “There’s no way we win anything without his defense and without his coaching. I think everybody understands that. We had that great offensive line, the great Walter Payton, (quarterback Jim) McMahon and great receivers, but we won because of our defense. That’s just the way it was.”

But make no mistake. The two didn’t really like each other when they shared the same sideline.

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Legendary NFL coach Buddy Ryan dies at 82

“I think he was antagonistic as he was because he felt like the should have got the job,” Ditka told NFL Films. “We are not good friends. We will never be good friends. He doesn’t like me. It’s not that I don’t like him, there is just no reason to.”

The scene after the Bears’ 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XX would be the last time Ditka and Ryan would share the field as members of the same staff, even if they were never really on the same page. Ryan was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason for his first head coaching gig.

Former Bears players told stories of Ditka and Ryan clashing with regularity, including a halftime scuffle that erupted between the two.

“Mike and Buddy got into a catfight,” late Bears safety Dave Duerson told NFL Films. “It was like two girls. It was kind of sad, really.”

Ditka admitted there was “some pushing and shoving.”

But at least the sparring remained mostly behind the scenes, unlike when Ryan threw a punch at Kevin Gilbride on the sidelines when both were coordinators with the Houston Oilers in 1993. Ryan had called Gilbrides’s run-and-shoot offense “chuck-and-duck” before the punch, which was broadcast on national television.