Thats because its associated with possibly the greatest defense in the history of the National Football League the 1985 Chicago Bears. First off, the 80's Bears had one of the best front sevens of all time, including Hall of Famers Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton and All-Pro selections Wilber Marshall and Richard Dent. Free the second level to run to the football. Here is a bit of trivia before we get into how the 46 defense worked, and why we dont see it much anymore: The name "46" Defense didnt come from the alignment of the players on defense; it came from free safety Doug Plank, who wore jersey number 46, and was a hybrid free safety slash linebacker in Buddy Ryans system. Since the spread offense is so common, it would be challenging for a 46 defense to succeed. In part because they had the 6-2, 290 pound Malcolm Roach responsible for the drop underneath the receiver, but also because the recognition from Burrow and the timing on that route is nearly impossible to defend if theres a window to throw the ball into. There are three things we talk to our defensive players about in regards to the spread and defense in general - numbers, leverage, and matchups. This is a Blitz concept, as it will give the illusion of rushing 5. It's like a "positionless 46" that moves the pieces around to create the same defense, much like some of the zone blitz schemes mentioned above. with the 3-5-3/3-3-5. In the back end, we will have two CBs, a Free Safety, and three invert type players. Steve Dykes. No, I dont agree with that. The Sam Safety needs to be a bigger Safety type, that can drop down in the box, and play a #3 WR man-to-man. However, with the players who have the necessary . 46 Defense in Football - Sports Feel Good Stories This could wear these players down over the entire stretch of the game if theyre not prepared for the extra physicality. The dual 3-techs will cause a problem for zone blocking schemes, and the outside rushers should cause the QB to give. Its very difficult, as you tend to see play out in the Big 12 on a weekly basis. Up front, teams still use the concept of the "T-N-T" alignment, where two defensive ends are covering (lined up directly across from) the guards, and a nose tackle is covering the center. There are many things that can be done from this look, and putting the pressure back on the offense is what we are trying to do. The Strong Safety, and the Will Safety will need to be able to force the run, and cover man-to-man when called upon. Defensive ends: The weak side defensive end lines up one to two yards outside the weak side offensive tackle. With the Sam linebacker starting the play at the line of scrimmage, that leaves only the Mike and the Will in their traditional alignments with traditional responsibilities. Cover all possible pass patterns while continuing to pressure the QB. However, the defensive formation has been rarely used in professional and college football since then as offenses have adapted to use multiple receiver and spread formations to counteract the 46.[4]. If you do not want to play man coverage, the rotation coverages come into play. This is how I would describe what Oklahoma is doing this season. (Full Explanation). This may be harder for inexperienced players to fully grasp and execute. Heres some notes that the venerable Mike Gundy gave me at B12 media days on the practice: You know, theres really two ways in our league. Advantages of 46 Defense by East Lee Middle | PDF - Scribd The Tigers rely mostly on the over front, which gets the. No I dont think it needs to be all or nothing, I just mean in the package, not on one play. The Rover is an. Well start with the alignment of all the players. With offenses taking a player out of the run game and putting him into passing concepts, the defense has to adjust, so we need to take a run-defender out of the box to help in pass, yet still maintain the principles of the 46 to play great defense. The weak-side defensive tackle and strong-side defensive end will have primary B gap responsibilities. Strong side, the defense has a 3-2 Mix with the Strong Safety, Mike and CB taking the 2 WRs. The one-high look to 2 x 2 can also be played as straight man, with the F$dropping to #2 weak, freeing up the Mike and Will to become pass rushers, and take advantage of one-on-one match-ups in pass protection. Offensive formations must have seven players on the line of scrimmage and four in the . This was difficult for many teams at the time because most offensive passing games centered on the play-action pass, a situation that often favored the defense even further with the quarterback lined up to receive the snap from directly behind the center. Foster as the jack and the 6-0, 205 pound safety Brandon Jones as the sam.. Outnumber the tackle-to-tackle blocking schemes at the point of attack. With the innovations on Offense, not to mention every rule that is passed helps offensive players, there is a need for defenses to catch-up to the ever-evolving world of the spread offense. This is the standard alignment for the defense when facing a balanced formation on the hash, and it's worth noting that the calls are split into two separate pieces. The 1985 Bears were arguably the greatest team of all time. Many a Big 12 QB will see single-high and just fire off a fade route to whichever of his receivers have the best matchup, or whichever one is furthest from the deep safety. They cover short routes and runs that get past the defensive line. He was a mastermind at disguising coverages and creating havoc in the backfield. It hasnt borne the same kind of results that it does in B1G country. Rub or mesh our DBS when we are in man. While the spread looks to use space and options to attack their opponent rather than size up front, the 8-3 defense eschews trying to "line up sound and make 'em beat us" and instead looks to win on a mental level through disguise, dictation, and disruption. In the case of a zone-blocking scheme, this makes it difficult for the offensive linemen to reach any of the linebackers on the second level. In Chicago, he had Dan Hampton lined up over center, and in Philadelphia, the defensive tackle over the center was the late, great, Reggie White. There are four defensive linemen, three linebackers, and four players in the secondary in a 46 defense - but the difference lies in where they line up. TOs gonna bring 7, were gonna bring 7 at times, which means there aint no free safety back there, my man. Offenses are putting more athletes on the field, and the defense has to adapt and match-up. 5 TFL, 5 sacks, 3 PBU. It can still be helpful today if used in the right situation. This allowed the defense to keep all of the coverages in tact, without changing a lot of rules for the players. The 46 or Bear Defense | mgoblog With the pre-determined 3-0-3 down linemen, getting lined up should not be a problem. Its just not meant to be a base defense in todays game, where more and more teams use some version of the spread offense. A large part of the pass coverage scheme is about putting pressure on the Quarterback so that you aren't in coverage for long. The Buckeyes dont bring a ton of blitzes, they dont have to because they have this guy named Chase Young on their team. In 20 pers., the offense can use the "H" to attack either side of the defense, reading the overhangs to determine . The 46 defense in football, created by long-time coach Buddy Ryan, propelled the Chicago Bears teams of the 1980s. But they typically do a very good job of pressuring up front so that its very hard to clear the first level cleanly. I had to use every bit of knowledge and experience and wisdom I had to come up with game plans to attack this defense. (Complete Position Guide), Flag Football Rules (Easy Beginners Guide), Pro Set Formation Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images), How to Do a Rip Move in Football (5-Step Guide). Fat8 Rule System Defensive Series 46 Defense vs Spread Offense The difference was in the lineup. This front forced offenses to immediately account for the defenders lined up directly in front of them, making it considerably harder to execute blocking assignments such as pulling, trapping and pass protection in general. Defensive coaches are often very aggressive in temperament, and TO as Wells affectionately refers to his former assistant Todd Orlando, is certainly an energetic and aggressive figure. Similar, Im not sure how often they built bear fronts at Wazzu. The Penn State Nittany Lions, Michigan Wolverines, and the Ohio State Buckeyes, all of which play mostly in nickel. If its all or nothing someones fixing to score. The Badgers have a pretty extensive playbook of blitzes, but a lot of the time theyre bringing four and dropping seven into cover 3: Either from their base 3-4 or the 2-4-5 that they regularly mix in, the Badgers like to keep four linebackers on the field at all times. The 46 Defense was derived from the old Double Eagle Defense of the 1940's and early-to mid 1950's. As Paul Brown innovated the passing game, the evolution of defense moved to a 6-1 alignment by Steve Owens, to the 4-3 Flex by Tom Landry, to the Miami 4-3. Buddy Ryan was ever the innovator. So, you would have to ask these defensive coordinators but, either you better drop back and try to defend him or you better go after him and try to pressure him. And then defenses started to disguise that a little bit, but because youre taking and giving up a certain area on the field when youre fire zoning, if offensive quarterbacks know that they can wear you out. Though many coaches perceive the 46 as a great vehicle against spread and other pass-type formations, they tend to short-change it as a weapon against power or three-back type offenses. If you dont have someone like that on your team, then your ability to collapse the pocket, before the quarterback can get the pass off, is greatly diminished. Here are some of the favored modern solutions for still trying to orient a defense around putting pressure on the offense rather than adopting something more passive, like Gundys just drop everyone and make em earn it suggestion. This would be the Wisconsin method but backed by quarters coverage rather than cover 3. Bump and run can allow the defense to take away the quarterback's immediate decision-making ability, by disrupting the timing of short routes needed to make a quick throw to beat the 46 defense.[5]. Oklahomas remake of the 46 defense is an intriguing new way to arrive at that outcome, itll be interesting to see how it holds up over the rest of the season as teams start to figure it out and adjust. cover receivers. Oregon and the 46 defense - Football Study Hall Blitz at will without substitutional changes. Again, the defense can play Swipe or Exchange. Then theres the looks that theyre always creating after the snap on first and second down: Heres how that confusing mess looks on the chalkboard: After the snap, Oklahoma creates a 5-1 front with the middle linebacker (Kenneth Murray) blitzing into the place where a 46 defensive tackle would be and the safeties dropping down to match the inside receivers (TE Y and slot H) and clean up behind while the nickel drops as the single-high deep safety. Quarters coverage can solve for that problem by getting more safeties in the deep field and putting the free safety on the hash mark. 46 Defense. Instead, Ryan coined the term 46 defense because his strong safety on that Bears team, Doug Plank, wore number 46. The cornerbacks will line up over the wide receivers, with the free safety as the only man lined up deep. Cornerbacks: The corners will line up on the line of scrimmage in bump and run coverage, or at times will line up seven to eight yards off of the line in front of their receivers in man-free coverage. -Designed by Thrive Themes| Powered by WordPress. Line up with two defensive tackles and two defensive ends. Heres a hint for Tom Herman, its not the zone blitz. Space force enlistment: My new metric for evaluating Big 12 recruiting. A 46 defense is a type of defense used by the Chicago Bears in the 1980s to stop the run and create a dominant pass rush. spread try to do. However, their normal formula has been off of late and the competition is going to be tougher in 2020 than it ever has before. 2.5 TFL, 1 INT, Will: Jack Sanborn, 6-2, 228. If he releases, they will go hug him. This is a great time to substitute a Nickel CB for the Will. Enter your email below to get access for free: 100% Privacy Guarantee. The 46 defensive front. Even when the Defense is playing coverage, they are going to be able to get one-on-one situations. Since the Bear defense has the flexibility to contract or expand with the offensive formations, it can attack the LOS whenever the offense loads up with extra tight ends or running backs. The innovation of the Strong Safety now lining up to the weak side allowed for the defense to be more flexible, and adjust to different formations. Very aggressive approach oriented around the belief that JT Barrett couldnt beat their guys in man coverage. No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner. (Full Explanation), What is 21 Personnel in Football? Jaworski, Ron, Cosell, Greg, and Plaut, David, Schweitzer, Preston & Tornabene-Zalas, Art. Doug Plank, the strong safety for whom the defense was named (his jersey number was 46), played as a hybrid safety-linebacker. The reality is that you dont have to run the 46 defense to the same extent that the Chicago Bears did. The advantages spy coverage give you are two fold. Thats because in addition to the nose tackle, defensive tackle and two defensive ends, the strong safety and Sam will align themselves at the line of scrimmage on every play. defending Trey - MatchQuarters // #ArtofX We can also Nickel package a CB for the Will Backer. [1] There are two players at linebacker depth playing linebacker technique, and then three defensive backs. If he stays in to block, they will continue their rush. The defensive tackle lines up on the weak-side guard. Buddy Ryan took the old Double Eagle, and introduced the 46, a version of the Double Eagle, that took its one-on-one principles, and added an extra player to the box, to help stop the run, and put the pressure on the offense. As Mississippi State's defensive coordinator from 1996-2002, his defenses went from 47th to 35th to 20th to leading the nation in 1999. Weak side, the F$, Will and CB would have a 3-2 Mix over the two offensive WRs. "The Ultimate Guide to Football Defense" Booklet (254 pages), Based on the alignment alone, one might think that the 46 defense is only good at stopping the running game. Get it FREE with a Video Set purchase, find it on Amazon, or buy it from our Order Page. With the ability to rush as many as eight players to the quarterback, it was overwhelming to teams that didnt know how to guard against it. This formation offers us a true Cover 2 shell, and happens to be very effective against an opponent that is very pass heavy. This defense paved the way to their winning Super Bowl XX. The 46 defense was known to be most successful with the 85 Bears. As hard as it is to pressure a spread offense normally, its extra hard when theyve seen your gameplan blitzes for three quarters and your big men have been chasing them around for 50+ snaps. The first thing we'll look at is the line D-Tackle right on the nose (For Michigan this is Mike Martin, for the 85 Bears it was William "Refrigerator" Perry). Also, timed passes can be thrown before the players blitzing have a chance to reach the quarterback. Again, Texas execution hasnt been exceptional this season but the results are still plenty bad enough to wonder. Football 46 Defense - rookieroad.com He designed the 46 to essentially be an ultra-aggressive version of the 4-3 defense. The D-Line can be defined as a Defensive End, a 3-Tech and a Nose. This is another reason Buddy was an innovator. It is played out of a base 4-3. GGN Chalkboard: The 4-6 Defense - Gang Green Nation The "charlie" linebacker, or the weak-side backer, lines up on the tight-end's inside shoulder. These two could either pin their ears back and rush the passer or they could drop back in coverage. The 46 defense is one of the most famous defensive alignments around, as it was employed by what is considered one of the best professional defenses in history the 1985 Chicago Bears. No pressure out of a 46 alignment is often a nightmare for the defense, as the offense can now pick apart the team that has only three players in the secondary. One-on-one match ups in pass rush, pressure defense, and making offenses adjust schemes to block the 46 front were still the main principles. ManI think its a mix of bringing four, bringing five, bringing six. The Modern 46 still allows for the Defense to play the way the Defense was designed by Buddy Ryan. This is largely because of multiple receiver and spread formations. The state of Texas doesnt produce linebackers quite like the state of Wisconsin does. The 4-6 defense was created by Buddy Ryan to stop the ground game in the 1980's as well as provide a pass rush that couldn't be stopped. They leaned a lot on Hercules shooting gaps, it might have been pretty 46-intensive, I dont recall. Copyright 2009-2023 Michael & Gabriel, Inc. Privacy Policy Note: We earn an affiliate commission from some of the sites we link to. Because of this, and since reading the fullback is a very easy key to learn, we have our linebackers key the fullback. The best way for the defense to combat this is to have a pre-determined strength call, and get to their spots as quick as possible. So the Sooners arent exactly blitzing, really theyre using the 46 defense as a starting point on passing downs and an ending point on standard downs. The problem in the Big 12 is that solving your problems with aggression often just turns into the Somme when your players bravely try to go chase the QB only to watch the ball sail out to someone on the perimeter who then runs free. You can actually observe a similar dimension to Iowa State this season, who began to mix in more zone blitzes into their package last year and this year regularly dial up big pressures. Ryan also used the 46 defense as the head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and as defensive coordinator with the Houston Oilers. Orlando has tended to make up for that by using fire zones that overload the edge with safeties, like the one you can see Burrow beating above. And therefore, would only be a good fit for youth football teams who defend the run more often, or for more advanced teams against run-heavy offensive formations. The 46 defense employs only two linebackers in the traditional sense. The 46 defense was created by former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan in the 1980s. His main objective is the same as the strong side defensive end to avoid being pinched inside or letting the guard release to block the linebacker. 4.Hard penetrating ends. The SS can also cover a receiver in man-to-man coverage if needed. Defenses today may also run safety blitzes and corner blitzes at crucial moments without committing wholly to the "46" defense. Because the talent level at quarterback and receiver in this league is second to none in my opinion. A few years later, the 46 Alignment changed by keeping the SS to the TE side, putting him in the 9-tech, moving the Sam Backer to the 7-Tech, and keeping the Will backer to the weak side in the 40-tech. Mike: Chris Orr, 6-0, 232. Is Good in Any Situation - A The 46 defense is not just a run-stopping defense. Meanwhile, Oklahoma has a bunch of talented athletes up front that they love to bring on different twists and s, so Baylor better have Connor Galvin healthy and everyone well repped on picking this stuff up or []. The 46 was named after Modern 46 - real46defense The defense, most importantly, was monstrous. Unlike other defensive alignments out there, the 46 defense is not named for the number of players at each level of the defense. They come hard every play and have very little responsibility. We havent seen the full capability of what this style could do. The cornerbacks will defend the receivers in man-to-man coverage or drop back and cover an area of the field in zone coverage. The pass game was average. It is a simple defense to learn and teach, and also allows your players to play fast and . 10.5 TFL, 6 sacks, 1 INT. The free safety is really the key to the secondary in a 46 defense. Uncertain. The Sam linebacker and the strong safety will each line up on one of the shoulders of the tight end the Sam on the inside shoulder and the strong safety on the outside shoulder. Defending The Spread Offense With The 3-5-3 | PDF - Scribd The answer is probably not very often. The charlie linebacker will step back to where the middle linebacker was in the normal alignment, the middle linebacker will move to where the strong safety was aligned and the strong safety will move out to cover the third receiver. That obviously helps against some of the problems that occur when your defense relies on cover 3 against offenses when they see the blitz coming. 46 Defense Basics - Joe Daniel Football How do you create a safe pressure blitz in the Big 12? There are four defensive linemen that are shifted more towards the right. The coverage run vs. a 2 x 2 set would be White, Exchange or Yellow. In 1984 this system produced 72 quarterback sacks, and in 1985, when they made their Super Bowl run, the defense had a six game streak, where, on average they only gave up 4.5 points per game, and during the playoffs only allowed 10 points over three games. Even though Texas execution wasnt elite, the obvious question coming out of this game was whether the zone blitz can even work anymore. The Modern 46 Book is here! This made it impossible for offensive linemen to double team any defender and caused all sorts of havoc in the backfield. Different than a Zone Blitz where the Defense is dropping six and playing a zone concept, Spy Concept allows the Defense to play 2-Man, and still bring 5 Pass Rushers. All rights reserved. The Bears' run defense was top two in both run and overall defense every year from 1984-1988. This allowed the rest of the defense to come crashing in on the the QB so quickly that he had no time to get the ball off. His objective is to make sure that the offensive guard in front of him does not push him inside and does not get released to block the linebacker. Buddy Ryan used the formation to create mismatches, overload gaps, and make life miserable for offensive linemen. If you watch the coverage behind Wisconsins pressures you can tell that they regularly benefit from how effective that pressure is at confusing the QB and forcing him off his spots. Safeties: The strong safety lines up four to four and a half yards off the line of scrimmage and stands directly in front of the weak side tackle. Gates 6946 PoweRated V-Belt, 5L Section, 21/32" Width, 3/8" Height, 46. When three or more receivers are used by the offense, the defense makes what is called a jayhawk adjustment. With so many defensive linemen so close to each other, the 46 defense easily allows for defensive coaches to work in curls or stunts that would switch up the gap responsibilities and confuse offensive linemen even more. What is a Safety in Football? Also, their corners were extraordinary at pressing receivers, making them the perfect fit for the 46. And so, I dont think that would do much for what goes on in our league. Regardless of whether or not a Tight End is part of the formation, we will have one defender to defend each gap presented by the offense. This is the only gap along the line of scrimmage that isnt occupied by a defensive lineman in a 46 defense. The 46 is a peculiar alignment that has two linebackers stacked over one tight end. Not only did he have to protect the middle of the field against the deep pass, he also had to assist the two corner backs in pass coverage. The obvious key to pressuring modern spread offenses is to do so as efficiently as possible and without having to involve the guys on the back end in transparent fashions. And I respect that coming in, cause I already know it. This is also a great front to run vs. the Zone Read teams, as the stack backer can sit for cut-back on flow away. The free safety lines up 12 yards back and over the weak-side guard. The defensive ends line up at each end of the defensive line. The TCU defense will be better in another year after a chance to get some linebackers up to speed in the defense and with another year for most of the more impactful DL up front to get better. DIAGRAM 4: One Gap 3-4 Defense Cover 3 (Vs Pro Set). These players are the second layer of support in the 46 and can blitz. That year, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award (best. Your email address is safe with me, 46 Defense Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images), Tampa 2 Defense Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images), What is a Flag in Football? The Ryan bros still use the 46 defense and the bear front, but they tend to mix it in alongside zone blitzes, quarters coverages, multiple DB sub-packages, etc. The best drill for working Swipe and Exchange is simple. How LSU builds defenses that shut down spread offenses Here are some of the hangups with the Wisconsin method, though. The Jack and Sam would still be responsible for the back. There are a few Big 10 defenses executing a lot of zone blitz scheme with much better results than Texas, albeit against Big 10 offenses. How to Coach 46 Defense Alignment for Your Football Team Wasnt the 46 what Virginia Tech used to beat Ohio state in 2014? It's really the most singular innovation in defensive football in the last twenty years. 46 Venom Defensive Guide | Madden Turf 4-2-5 Defense vs Spread - 22 Formations. The modern personnel seems to match-up better with Offensive Personnel, and the Field Calls allow the Defense to get lined up correctly, and get the proper calls to be ready for the Hurry Up Offenses. Not adjusted to the offensive formation. Responsibilities for all players in the secondary are pretty simple and similar to what they are in other defensive alignments. [4] The eight man line that the 46 presented was most effective against the two back, two wide receiver sets common in the 1980s. Is that what the direct question was? Concerning Sports, [] Patterson is in better shape. The 1985 Bears were particularly well-suited to play this defense. Its very effective when teams use compressed sets, where they line up with two backs in the backfield, and two or threetight ends(what's called a 22-or 23-personnel grouping respectively). The Free Safety and Corners would have the same responsibilities as normal 3Z. Five defenders will always be defending the pass, and one of the extra defensive linemen can always drop back into coverage, too. But what made the 15-1 Bears so dominant? Another problem with the 46 defense is that most teams do not have enough impact players to run the 46 as effectively as the Bears and Ryan's other two major successes, the late 1980s Philadelphia Eagles for which he was head coach and the 1993 Houston Oilers for whom he was defensive coordinator, did. No defenders are placed over the offensive tackles, instead a defensive end is placed to the outside shoulder of the left tackle and old number "46", who is a cross between a linebacker and a. A weakness of the 46 defense is that with eight defensive players lining up near the line of scrimmage and only three in the secondary, it leaves areas open for receivers to catch passes. We will go over one way pressure, two way pressure, hybrid coverages, and a simple . [2][3], The 46 defense is most effective against the two back, two wide receiver sets that many teams commonly used in the 1980s. (Full Explanation), What is the Box in Football? The only difference between the 4-2-5 and the 4-3 defensive schemes is that the strong side Defensive End will play head up or shaded inside against a Tight End, handling the C-Gap, as opposed to crashing from the outside of the Tight End. Interestingly, Jeff Fisher, who played for Buddy Ryan, adopted the 46 defense for a while, as head coach of the Tennessee Oilers, who are now known as the Tennessee Titans.