First, a little 45 second appetizer, Exhibit A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swYlm4Uuk-k You see alot of similarities between the defensive philosophies of Rex and his father, Buddy Ryan. There is nothing defensive about the Ryan's defense. Buddy Ryan believed in attacking first and foremost, of converting the the defense into "offensive". Hence, blitz. Ryan was at the tip of the spear in transforming the landscape of the NFL by smelting the day's conventionally passive, reactionary and schematically monolithic defensive posture and reforming it as a bludgeon, flexible, capable of metamorphosing into any of a variety of fronts: 3-4, 4-3, 4-4, and the one he invented, the "Bear" 46, named after Doug Planck, the original stout run-stuffing strong safety. Today's safety is a child half borne from Buddy Ryan's defense. Peering into Buddy's playbook, we see his philosophy boiled down to its core: "We will keep constant pressure on our opponent and their offense. Our multiple defensive scheme will hamper their ability to identify our intentions by giving them an ever-changing picture on defense.""A quarterback has never completed a pass when he was flat on his back. We must hit the QB hard and often. QB?s are over-paid, over-rated, pompous bastards and must be punished. Great pass coverage is a direct result of a great pass rush, and a great pass rush is simply a relentless desire to get to the QB". Although he doesn't deserve full credit for the attack style defense, it was this defense that caused the quick drop, timing based West-Coast offense. The WCO was a reaction against Ryan's attack style scheme, which is designed to morph and test the pass protection schemes, trying to draw it out and expose it. That way, the defense is at the least fuzzing the offense's clarity and crispness, making it think, and react, and often - too little, too late. Again in Ryan's words, from the 1993 Oilers playbook: "Our defensive philosophy is simple. We will do anything and everything it takes to win, within the rules. We can only control what we do on our side of the ball, therefore we will approach every game with the plan of winning the game with defense" OK, to Exhibit B, which shows exactly to what anything and everything we are talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkCS46W6zTM They are definitely trying to break CJ in half! Chris Johnson was in for one more carry and then left the game. Checkmate. "There's more: During a Thursday presser after the game, Rex Ryan, when asked about Willie Parker looking better, offered this with a smile on his face (2:00-2:25 in - notice laghter): http://www.baltimoreravens.com/media_library/Videos/Media_Interviews_and_PCs/2009/01/1_15_Rex.aspx "I guess he got a lot of yards against San Diego, and I read all the experts say we would have given up 150 yards to the running back from Tennessee. ...But remember, he never finished the game for some reason. Whatever that reason is, they can cry all they want. Who cares? We're here. We're still playing, and they can watch us." But there's still more. Exhibit C shows a ubiquitous current running thru the Ryan attack style defense. It isn't just that there is attack, it is the menacing way the defense itself shows itslef in the details. This is from the earlier meeting between the Ravens and Steelers after the famous Mendenhall-to-Ray Rice Text Message: If the Ravens were intentionally trying to injure Johnson, such an accusation would not be new. Earlier this season, Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall sustained a season-ending shoulder injury against the Ravens only days after Mendenhall was said to have text-messaged Baltimore running back Ray Rice, saying he was going to have a big game against the Ravens? top-ranked rushing defense. In an interview with an Atlanta radio station, Suggs implied that the Ravens had bounties on Mendenhall and on Steelers receiver Hines Ward. After the N.F.L. investigated, Suggs was forced to issue a statement denying any such intent. Suggs said: ?When I did the radio show in Atlanta, that?s what I meant and I thought that?s what I said. I did repeat the word bounty early in the interview after the guy asking me the question used the word. That was a mistake. I misspoke, and I?m sorry for that.? Suggs misspoke, perhaps... Per Gregg WIlliams (a Buddy Ryan Disciple): "Buddy Ryan said it best. It's hard for a quarterback to throw with tears in his eyes."
