It was Mike Ditka who made it happen, who put aside the wisecracks and snide cracks and thawed a feud with Buddy Ryan that Ryan said he never knew existed.But it was Ryan who allowed it to happen, who returned Ditkas bear hug when the coaches and players got together on the occasion of the 1985 Super Bowl champions 25th anniversary in 2010.They were both in their 70s by then, Ryan nearly 80, and the creative, and ... OK, personal ... differences that were revealed most graphically when the 85 Bears defense carried Ryan off the field following their Super Bowl XX rout, just didnt seem worth it anymore.It tk me a long time to get smarter and understand things, Ditka said that day the two reunited to promote the reunion, a glorified storytelling session for fans. Youre headstrong when youre young and maybe I was, but Ill tell you what, I certainly have grown to understand and appreciate what these guys meant and what this coach meant, because his players related to him on defense like Ive never seen before or since.They did love Ryan, who died Tuesday.Bears Hall of Fame defensive lineman Dan Hampton told the story Tuesday of Ryan, who in 1993 as the defensive crdinator for the Houston Oilers, punched the teams offensive crdinator Kevin Gilbride on the sideline during a game.Everyone goes Buddys crazy taking a swing at one of his own coaches, and no one knew what it was about, and it was so indicative of him as a leader, Hampton said.The Oilers were playing the Jets in their 16th game of the season, a meaningless game, where the whole point was to get the damn game over and run the ball, Hampton said. But Gilbride kept calling a bunch of pass plays and Buddy was like, Are you nuts? He had a bunch of guys who were beat up and he kept sending them back out onto the field and he couldnt take it.Thats why players loved Buddy. Thats why his players loved him. Thats why so many times in so many ways, it would manifest itself in a way that we knew Buddy loved us and would go to war for us.So loyal were they to their old defensive crdinator that years later, when Dave Duerson accused Ryan of using a racial epithet toward him during his playing career, every defensive player, black and white, said it simply never happened.Mike Singletary, one of Duersons closest friends on the team, said everyone had to learn how to handle Ryans trials in their own way.Buddy didnt like any rkies that came in, but Dave had to lick his wounds, Singletary said following Duersons suicide in 2011. Duerson was diagnosed with CTE. He tk it a little more personal than most of us, but I really think Buddy was just trying to help Dave be the best he could be, and there was nothing personal by it.Both Duerson and Ryan said when they saw each other in later years, there was always a handshake and often a hug.Most rkies thought I didnt like them because I was on them all the time to hurry their progress, Ryan said. But we got along. He was a normal rkie that way. And I was proud he made the Pro Bowl. That was great.Of course, it wasnt as if Ryan ever mellowed completely.Trying to be nice when talking about Ditka at the reunion, he still couldnt resist getting in a few digs.I thought he made a great speech, which I didnt do, Ryan said of his first impressions of Ditka, drawing laughter. I went to some affairs when he first got here and he spoke and he did a hell of a job. And its still going on with TV. His Viagra commercials are great.But he was always humble when it came to his players. And Ditka remembered a loyalty Ryan demonstrated that he said was incomparable.Buddy stayed the course, Ditka said in 2014. He knew what he wanted to do and he did it and he wouldnt let anyone deter him from what he thought was right for the Bears or for his players; me, ownership anybody. And he stuck up for his players better than anybody around. Sometimes maybe I had a little shortcoming in that area but he never ever failed to stick up for his players on the defensive side of the ball. They were No. 1 and they should have been. I had great people around me everywhere I went, Ryan said. I didnt realize it at the time, I thought it was all me. We had a lot of leaders on that [85] team and I got credit for a lot of things Dan Hampton and those guys did.For the past 10 years, Hampton has gone to visit Ryan at his Kentucky farm with former teammate Gary Fencik. In late May, they visited with another teammate, Lenny Walterscheid.There is great resolution with a lot of things, Hampton said. You dont know how youre going to feel until something like this happens, but I know hes in a better place. We walked out of Buddys house knowing we probably wouldnt see him again but it was such a joyous time. He couldnt talk, but you could tell how happy he was that we were there. There was a peace and contentment.Fencik brought the 81 letter the Bear defense wrote to owner George Halas all but demanding that Ryan be retained after then-coach Neill Armstrong was fired.He read it and he told Buddy We bailed your ass out, and he was laughing, joyous, Hampton recalled. I cant tell you how happy I was that we were able to see him again and give him a final farewell.Cheap Air Max 90 China . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rkie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. White Air Max 90 China .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. http://www.cheapairmax90china.com/ . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Air Max 90 China Free Shipping .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. Air Max 90 China . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand.HAMILTON, Ont. -- Some have mistaken it for a tatt. Others have actually asked to touch it. The scar stretching from the base of Delvin Breauxs skull down his neck to roughly his shoulder blades is a constant reminder of how fortunate the Hamilton Tiger-Cats rkie defensive back is to be alive. "I thank God and am so blessed," Breaux said this week at the CFL teams training camp at McMaster University. "I appreciate ftball much more because a lot of people wouldnt take a chance on me. "Im just so glad to have the opportunity to play again." The 23-year-old cheated on death Oct. 27, 2006, just two days after celebrating his 17th birthday. Having already committed to LSU, one of the top programs in U.S. college ftball, Breaux was covering a kickoff during a high schl game in New Orleans when the force of making the tackle broke the C6 vertebrae in his neck and caused both the C4 and C5 to dramatically shift. His right vertebral artery, which carries bld from the heart to the brain and spine, was also severely damaged. "I remember it like it was yesterday," Breaux said. "Scouts from LSU, everybody, was in the stands and I wanted to make a play. "So I ran down and led with my head. That was the wrong thing to do but I wanted to make a play and I wasnt using my eyes and being smart about it. There I was, lying on the ground, I was out." Amazingly, Breaux walked off the field and upon reaching the sidelines told his coaches he wanted back in. But he began experiencing neck and back pain, blurred vision and difficulty swallowing because one of the discs in his neck slipped into his throat. "(Trainers) tried giving me two ibuprofens but I couldnt swallow and it was hard to breath," Breaux said. "My dad asked how I was doing and I said, Im gd but call an ambulance." It was at the hospital that Breaux realized just how lucky he was. "The doctor told me afterwards I shouldve died on the ftball field, " Breaux said. "When I was first hurt, I didnt take it t seriously because my adrenalin was pumping but when I found out how bad it was, I broke down. "My parents, everybody, were crying." The six-ft-one, 196-pound Breaux required two operations, the first to fix the broken artery and provide stability in his spine. A metal plate was inserted into his neck during the second procedure. Breaux, who wore a Halo Brace to support the muscles in his neck and keep his head from moving around, lost roughly 30 pounds. Surprisingly, doctors told Breaux afterwards hed likely be able to resume playing ftball if his recovery went well. Trouble was, it tk nearly six years and while Breaux attended LSU on an athletic scholarship, he never got medical clearance to play ftball there. After university, Breaux worked construction and as a bouncer to make ends meet. He played flag ftball before catching on with the semi-pro Louisiana Bayou Vipers. Breaux began the 2013 Arena Ftball League season with the New Orleans VD before signing with Hamilton as a free agent. &"Hes getting better every day and were really pleased with how he has performed," Tiger-Cats head coach and general manager Kent Austin said of Breaux.dddddddddddd "He has an unbelievable attitude, hes a great story." And a sobering one. "These players risk a lot to play the game they love," Austin added. "We try to do the best we can to take care of them in practice but unfortunately things happen. "Gd for him that he was able to overcome that situation and get back on the ftball field." Breaux said he didnt have to overcome fear when he resumed playing because his injury made him a smarter player. "Im still physical but I just take more precautions," he said. "I dont go running in there with my head down, I dont just go running in there (blindly) and make tackles if I dont have to. "I play with my eyes, thats what I started doing more ... and it has helped me be more prepared. Its about being cautious and safe." In full pads, Breauxs athletic ability shines through. He has the quickness to stay with a speedy receiver but can quickly pivot on a dime to get back in on a running play. Off the field, hes very engaging and quick to flash an infectious smile. But when the pads come off and he turns away, the focus turns immediately to the horrific scar that runs down his neck. "When many people see it they ask if its a tatt or if they can touch it to see if its real," Breaux said. "To me, its a sign of adversity and fighting through adversity. "Many people wouldve quit, it wouldnt have been in their heart anymore to keep playing. But Im a different breed, I want to keep playing." Throughout his long recovery Breaux never doubted he would one day resume playing ftball. "I always had the thought of coming back even though many people told me my career was over ... I should go back to schl and get my degree," he said. "But I never thought about quitting ftball, I always knew Id come back. "When I was leaving the hospital one of the doctors said, Make sure you send me Super Bowl tickets when you make it. That was my motivation. It was like, My doctor believes, let me go take this chance again." But Breauxs dream now is to get his hands on the Grey Cup. And to do that, hell have to adjust to a new game thats played with one less down on a longer, wider field. "Man, the field is wide and big, especially coming from arena ftball," Breaux said with a chuckle. "But its just understanding the game and watching the veterans work the field. "Ftball is ftball. Whatever position the coach puts you in you have to make a play. If you play on this field and have a helmet and shoulder pads on, you must be an athlete." For rkies like Breaux, one of the best places to impress the coaches is special teams, a challenge Breaux readily welcomes. "Im ready," he said. "I want to remember that I broke my neck on special teams so let me go down there and try this again. "I cant wait." ' ' '