Eagles’ Ryan Keeps Them Talking

In the mixed-up, no-nonsense, pithy world of Philadelphia Eagle Coach Buddy Ryan, there is no middle ground.

His quarterback, Randall Cunningham, would scramble over hot coals for him. But Ryan’s former kicker, Luis Zendejas, would stuff those coals down Ryan’s pants if he could get three minutes of the coach’s time in a dark alley.

Ryan isn’t everyone’s buddy.

The public Ryan works with one foot in the frying pan. In fact, he’s the dean at the school of hard knocks when it comes to issues such as bounties, vendettas and general bad-mouthing. Ryan locked in a room with Houston Oiler Coach Jerry Glanville might be something you’d pay to see.

Away from the field, Ryan supposedly is a pussycat, although you’d have a tough time convincing most of the NFL, including this week’s wild-card opponents, the Rams.

They’ve nicknamed Eagle safety Andre Waters, “Dirty,” for his provocative, helmet-to-knee tackling techniques. Waters effectively ended quarterback Steve Bartkowski’s career in 1986 and zeroed in on Jim Everett’s cartilage last season, barely missing his target. The Rams haven’t forgotten.

Just one of Buddy’s boys, some would say of Waters.

“He likes to see you go out and put a hurting on people,” Cunningham explained. “That’s our style. He’s got us with a style where we go out and play crazy, and if guys are in the way, they get hurt.”

Ryan’s outbursts are legendary, his motives sometimes questionable. Two weeks ago, he denied access to ABC’s Monday Night broadcasting crew after some unflattering on-air remarks made their way back to Ryan. Did Ryan care that television chips in $17-million per club each season, before the first gate receipt is tallied? Not this guy.

Apparently, though, the public knows of him only what Ryan lets on.

“I think the public image is out there,” Ryan said. “The people that know me know that I’m a good guy, a fair guy. You know, the players don’t respect you if you kiss them all the time, or if you kick them all the time. I think I’m fair with them. You can check with anybody that’s played for Buddy Ryan for any length of time, and they’d say I was a quality person. Unless you wanted to go get somebody that I fired. They’ll talk bad about anybody.”

That would include Zendejas, the former Eagle who claims Ryan placed a bounty on his head when the Dallas Cowboys met the Eagles on Thanksgiving Day. But you can guess what Ryan thinks of most kickers.

Why does controversy follow Ryan?

“Because he likes it,” Cunningham said. “I think Buddy enjoys being in the public. He’s one of those guys you put up there with (Jim) McMahon, (Brian) Bosworth, those guys that like the attention. That’s just his personality.”

Others guess Ryan sacrifices himself to the media to deflect attention away from his team, although that tactic can backfire, too.

“Sometimes it does,” Cunningham admitted. “He’ll say a defense isn’t worth a darn, that we should go out and beat them. Some defenses, like Washington’s, got fired up. In the papers, Dexter Manley said if Buddy Ryan wouldn’t have said what he’s been saying, they wouldn’t have got as pumped up. But we don’t care about it. If they want to get pumped up, get pumped up. We’re going to be just as fired up as them.”

Ryan says he doesn’t know why he’s controversial.

“It seems like maybe I’m so honest that it’s just there all the time,” he guessed.

Ryan without his whistle and Eagle cap is apparently a different bird, preferring quiet time and raising horses on his Kentucky farm. He’s a regular churchgoer and a caring, gentle father and husband.

Just don’t mess with his football team. Ryan was quoted once as saying his team was destined by God to win the Super Bowl. Ryan says the quote was twisted a bit. Still, he’s the same guy who lives by the motto that rests on his office desk: “If you ain’t the lead dog, the view never changes.”

Ryan demands loyalty from his players and rewards them for it. Traitors be damned. Yet, the images are hard to wash from memory. After Chicago won Super Bowl XX, Bear defensive players hoisted Ryan, the defensive coordinator, not Mike Ditka, the head coach.

Ryan took over the Eagles in 1986 and is barely .500 overall, 33-30-1, as a head coach. This is his second playoff appearance, after he failed to advance past the first round last season.

But there has never been a dull moment.

Cunningham had some kind words for the Rams’ Jim Everett during Wednesday’s conference call to the Southland media.

Asked to assess Everett’s abilities, the Eagle quarterback turned the subject to Everett’s recent omission from the NFC Pro Bowl squad.

“I think Jim Everett got dogged,” Cunningham said. “He should have been the starter in the Pro Bowl. He should have been in the Pro Bowl last year. I think he’s the best quarterback in the NFL, as of this point right now.”

It was enough to send another tremor through the Bay Area, where the league’s presumed greatest quarterback resides.

“I don’t want to take any shots at Joe Montana,” Cunningham continued. “The statistics show that Montana is the best-rated quarterback, but Everett has more touchdowns.”

Mike Schad, the Rams’ first-round draft pick in 1986, started 16 games at guard for the Eagles this season. Is this the same Schad who didn’t start a game in three years for the Rams and was left unprotected in last year’s Plan B free agency?

Same Schad.

Ryan, in what could only be construed as a dig at the Rams’ scouting department, noted that Schad, coming out of Queen’s University in Canada in 1986, was a third-round pick, and said:

“I felt when he came out of college that it would take him about three years to play pro ball. And sure enough, it did. He’s getting better every week.”

Ryan all but thanked the Rams for putting Schad through preparatory school.

Ram Coach John Robinson, however, said it wasn’t a case of his giving up on Schad too soon.

“No, I think change and new environment are good for people,” Robinson said. “He went to Philadelphia with an opportunity to play. Here, he was not going to get an opportunity to play. Mike was an improving player, we’re not stupid. We understood that. We worked hard with Mike, and Mike worked hard to improve. Mike has improved and it’s great that he’s playing.”

Ram Notes

After Wednesday’s practice, defensive end Mike Piel said his dislocated elbow has healed enough for him to play in Sunday’s game. “It’s still sore,” he said, “I still can’t straighten out my arm all the way. It’s got a ways to go before it’s 100%, but it feels good enough to play with.” Piel has been fitted with a plastic brace that prevents the elbow from hyper-extension. Still, the Rams are listing him as questionable. Also questionable are guard Tony Slaton (ankle injury), linebacker Brett Faryniarz (hamstring) and defensive tackle Shawn Miller (groin).

The Eagles list seven players as questionable: cornerbacks Eric Allen and Eric Everett (ankles), tackle Ken Reeves (ankle), tight end Dave Little (knee), guard Ron Solt (knee), running back Keith Byars (ribs) and defensive tackle Jerome Brown (shoulder).

The Rams are holding a benefit auction Jan. 17 at Rams Park for former offensive tackle Charlie Cowan, recovering from a failed kidney transplant. The team is hoping to raise $25,000 to purchase a dialysis machine for Cowan, who played in 206 games for the Rams in 1961-75 and was named to three Pro Bowl teams. Admission to the auction is $25. Bidding for sports memorabilia will be held between 4 and 11 p.m. in the cafeteria at 2327 West Lincoln Ave., Anaheim. Cowan will be flown via Anaheim Police Dept. helicopter to the auction from his home in Fullerton. Several former teammates are also expected to attend.