Audibles Podcast: Remembering Buddy Ryan with those who knew him

Ron Rivera, Mike Singletary and others who knew Buddy Ryan share remembrances of the beloved NFL coach and defensive mastermind.

On this week’s episode of the Audibles Podcast, hosts Andrew Perloff and Don Banks invite four guests to pay tribute to Buddy Ryan. They share their own memories and then interview four men who knew him in different ways.

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera recalls Ryan's pre-game speeches from the 1985 Bears' Super Bowl run and shares what he learned from Ryan that he now uses as a coach. SI's Tim Layden, who wrote a chapter about Ryan in his book Blood, Sweat & Chalk: The Ultimate Football Playbook: How the Great Coaches Built Today’s Game, explained how his defensive scheme worked. Former Chicago Bears public relations director Ken Valdiserri discussed the bond Ryan had with his players and the working relationship between Ryan and Mike Ditka. Finally Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary spoke about the tough love Ryan showed him, and how that shaped his career.

Listeners can submit questions to the social media mailbag or let us know what you think of the show by tweeting at Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff), Don Banks (@DonBanks), producer Mitch Goldich (@mitchgoldich) or SI NFL (@SI_NFL).

You can catch up on all past episodes of Audibles at SI.com, or subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Music.