Randall Cunningham was embarrassed after Buddy Ryan lifted him from a playoff game five years ago in Philadelphia.
On Sunday, it was payback time for Cunningham, who threw two touchdown passes to Fred Barnett in the third quarter as the Philadelphia Eagles beat Ryan's Arizona Cardinals 17-7.Cunningham, who will face the Cardinals again in two weeks, insisted he got no special kick out of beating Ryan.
"I respect Buddy's defense," he said. "It's a challenge for a quarterback to be over 50 percent passing against it."
The challenge was met by Cunningham, who completed 15-of-24 passes for 201 yards. He also ran eight times for 63 yards.
Former Eagle Andre Waters, now the strong safety for the Cardinals, said Cunningham was the difference in the game and the difference between Philadelphia last year, when the Eagles were 8-8, and this season, when they're 7-2.
"He comes out to the park and makes plays," Waters said. "I was a little surprised he ran the ball as much as he did. It kills a defense. When you stop them for two downs and he makes a big play, it's really a defensive back's nightmare. It's a defense's nightmare."
The Eagles' defense produced two turnovers and five sacks to spoil Ryan's return to Philadelphia, where he was fired after lifting Cunningham for a series in the Eagles' 20-6 loss to the Washington Redskins on Jan. 5, 1991.
Ryan was greeted by a cascade of boos as he came onto the field before the game. There were several signs and banners hung inside the stadium, some razzing him and others praising the former coach.
Ryan also credited Cunningham, who has rebounded from a broken leg that cost him the last 12 games of last season.
"Randall made the plays he had to make to beat us," he said.
Barnett, whose touchdown catches covered 47 and 50 yards, caught a career-high 11 passes for 173 yards. Like Cunningham, he, too, was lost for the year when he suffered a knee injury in the fourth game of last season.
"As an offense, we had a good idea of what they were going to do," Barnett said. "Basically, they gave us what we were looking for."
Philadelphia almost recorded its first shutout in two years, but Arizona (3-6) scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Steve Beuerlein to Ricky Proehl with 1:51 left in the game.