Former players pay respects to defensive whiz Buddy Ryan (Yahoo Sports)

Buddy Ryan was remembered not just as a defensive master who won two Super Bowls and spawned a legacy carried on by players and twin sons now coaching in the NFL. Ryan had his players' backs no matter how tough and demanding he seemed, a loyalty noted and reciprocated by many of his pupils who traveled far to pay their respects Friday. ''The thing I loved about Buddy is that everybody got the same treatment,'' Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary said during a 20-minute eulogy at St. Lawrence Catholic Church that ended with an emotional pause.