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Former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan on Deadspin's worst coaches list

    by Brian McCardle
    Published 

In response to ESPN's list of the best coach in NFL history, Deadspin released its list of "The 16 Worst Coaches in Modern NFL History" on Friday and former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan came in at No. 16.

From Deadspin:

Is any crappy coach in league history more beloved by a fan base than Buddy Ryan still is in Philly? He gave reporters entertaining quotes, often at the expense of his own players. He once put a bounty on the Cowboys' kicker. He punched Kevin Gilbride, and even if it happened when he was in Houston, the act only endeared Ryan that much more to the likes of Paulie from East Passyunk. (According to the late Dave Duerson, Buddy was also something of a racist.) "Buddy Ryan," A.J. Daulerio once wrote, "was a walking, talking version of the mythology Philadelphia fans idolize about themselves." People in Philly like Buddy Ryan because Buddy Ryan wasn't Andy Reid, never mind that Buddy Ryan, with his immensely talented roster, never won a single playoff game (something even Rich Kotite did in Philly). The Cardinals later dragged Ryan off his horse farm to try to rescue the franchise. "You've got a winner in town," Ryan declared during his introductory press conference in the desert. He went on to win 12 games in two seasons before getting s***canned again.

Local parody Twitter account FakeWIPCaller, which sports Ryan as their avatar, took issue with the list:

Shame on you, @deadspin. Buddy does NOT belong on a "Worst Coaches" list with Kotite, Marion Campbell and Mornhinweg http://t.co/I3kPf11uqx
Also, according to that @deadspin list, the Eagles were continuously coached by the one of the 15 worst coaches ever from 1983-1994.

Coming in at No. 1 on the list is former Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, now holding the same position with the New York Jets. Mornhinweg's career record as a head coach is an abysmal 5-27.