The corners would play bump and run coverage, in order to disrupt the quick, "West Coast-type" patterns that were so dangerous to this defense. How do you create a safe pressure blitz for the Big 12? The bottom line is, youre trying to defend the pass with only three defensive backs. The 46 defense has not been lost, nor forgotten, just modified, and used more judiciously now, than it was 23 years ago. This is a great alignment, as it allows for so many possibilities from the Defense. It is a simple defense to learn and teach, and also allows your players to play fast and . Vs. a 3 x 1 set, the Nickel Back will now go over and play over #3 strong. The defensive tackle lines up on the weak-side guard. 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 strong side defensive end lines up on the outside shoulder of the strong side guard. No I dont think it needs to be all or nothing, I just mean in the package, not on one play. We will go over one way pressure, two way pressure, hybrid coverages, and a simple . One of the big challenges though is simply that spread formations, tempo, and smart QB play tied to smart coordination make it hard for defenses to both disguise where a blitz is coming from and also to cover up all of the outlets the QB has in response.
One-Gap 3-4 Defense Keeps Offenses On Their Heels This defense was so successful because of their ability to collapse the line, shutting down the run, and sacking the quarterback before he could get a pass off. The defense, most importantly, was monstrous. All rights reserved. What is a Safety in Football? Rover adjusts to the better receivers or Field side. Offensive formations must have seven players on the line of scrimmage and four in the . One of the biggest factors in playing sound defense is getting lined up correctly. Buddys defenses in the past relied on strength calls to get the defense lined up. (Full Explanation), What is the Box in Football? Football Gameplan Coaching VideoDefending the Spread with the 46 Defense Rub or mesh our DBS when we are in man.
Inside the Virginia Tech Defense - Shakin The Southland 46 Venom Defensive Guide | Madden Turf This allows him to cover the tight end and make it difficult for the tight end to achieve a quick release. 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. 5.The 46 is hard to trap against. The reality is that you dont have to run the 46 defense to the same extent that the Chicago Bears did. running the spread.
The 5 Defensive Schemes that Dominate - Joe Daniel Football Is Good in Any Situation - A The 46 defense is not just a run-stopping defense. In the back end, we will have two CBs, a Free Safety, and three invert type players. 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. The 46 defense can quickly crumble if the personnel doesnt fit the scheme.
X's and O's: The 46 Defense, What it Was and Where it Went On running plays, the Will be responsible for covering the A gap on his side of the field. (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). Heres one of many fire zones from dime that Texas brought against LSU without yielding a positive result: Texas did sack Burrow four times, but he also threw four touchdown passes and averaged 12.1 ypa while throwing for 471 yards. During run plays, his objective is to protect against reverses and counters. Youre on our 46 Defense in Football page. Pressure the QB relentlessly on every pass play. Covering up both guards and the center limits your ability to use double teams to get that strong vertical push up front. The spread offense is attempting to do just that, SPREAD you across the entire field. Grinchs version is more disguised, has more counters, and is more conservative in general.
Instead, Ryan coined the term 46 defense because his strong safety on that Bears team, Doug Plank, wore number 46. But you have to run on it. He may be required to run all over the field, too, so he should have a lot of speed and lateral adjustment ability. Concerning Sports, [] Patterson is in better shape. The dual 3-techs will cause a problem for zone blocking schemes, and the outside rushers should cause the QB to give. The Modern 46 still allows for the Defense to play the way the Defense was designed by Buddy Ryan. The linebackers line up behind the linemen somewhere between one and three yards from the line of scrimmage. Offenses are putting more athletes on the field, and the defense has to adapt and match-up. 4.Hard penetrating ends. 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. One is that their cover 3 schemes are rarely tested by proficient, spread passing attacks. 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. 2.5 TFL, 1 INT, Will: Jack Sanborn, 6-2, 228. The Badgers draw Ohio State in the coming weeks and if they pass that test and reach the playoffs theyll eventually face Alabama, LSU, Clemson, someone that can really test whether their coverages are going to hold up or not. with the 3-5-3/3-3-5. 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. On top of that, for the 46 defense to really be successful, you need a Dan Hampton or Reggie White type lined up over the center.
Fat8 Rule System Defensive Series 46 Defense vs Spread Offense Five defenders will always be defending the pass, and one of the extra defensive linemen can always drop back into coverage, too. Its just not meant to be a base defense in todays game, where more and more teams use some version of the spread offense. Texas runs the tite front on defense, which utilizes three big DL across the front, so weve yet to see a team attempt to play positionless quarters behind a 2-4-5 like Wisconsin plays.
Defending the Spread Offense [ARTICLE] - Coaches Insider This defense had a short lifespan, as it became less effective by the end of the 1980s. 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. Iowa State isnt really trying to beat people with pressure, they just have a high capacity for utilizing it as a component to their toolkit. The key is to get the one-on-one pass protection on the 3 inside guys, trying to get the QB. No modern team has the talent to run this defense effectively. The evenness of the four-down is why many spread teams attack 4-2-5 and 4-3 defenses from 20 pers., utilizing an H-back.
46 Defense Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images) The 46 essentially put a steel wall of defenders in front of opposing offenses, forcing them to throw the football. Both of these men were so strong, and such excellent pass rushers, that they could collapse the offensive pocket by themselves, even when they were taking on two blockers. 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. The advantages spy coverage give you are two fold. The pass game was average. Copyright 2009-2023 Michael & Gabriel, Inc. Privacy Policy Note: We earn an affiliate commission from some of the sites we link to. The Tigers rely mostly on the over front, which gets the. If the back is aligned to their side, they will take 3 hard steps, then determine what the back is doing. 10.5 TFL, 6 sacks, 1 INT. These players are the second layer of support in the 46 and can blitz. There are really only 2 ways to pass block vs. a 46 front concept. Line up with two defensive tackles and two defensive ends. 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. 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. Even when the Defense is playing coverage, they are going to be able to get one-on-one situations. When the offenses were huddling, you could find the TE, or Strong Guard, or 2 WR side, and make a front call to the offenses strong side, and get lined up. You can also Jesse the back again with the Jack and Sam, and allow the Mike to be a Low-Hole dropper in Single Coverage. We've had a lot of success over the years with the one-gap 3-4 defense. Lined up on the outside of the defensive end, and the 46, you have two outside linebackers, giving you a seven man front, with the middle linebacker lined up right behind the defensive tackle, who is playing a 0 technique -- meaning he is lined up directly in front of the center. 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. Army runs quite a bit of fire zone AND zone blitzing from quarters, with their own 3-4 defense that has a 2-4-5 nickel sub-package. So why is the 46 so uncommon now? [2][3], The 46 defense is most effective against the two back, two wide receiver sets that many teams commonly used in the 1980s. The Bears' defense coordinator, Buddy Ryan, designed the 46 defense when he arrived in Chicago in 1978. On running plays, the free safety must approach the line quickly, with primary responsibility of making tackles or funneling a ball carrier inside if that ball carrier gets outside or past the other defenders. Outnumber the tackle-to-tackle blocking schemes at the point of attack. Most of their best defensive performances in the last three years under Orlando have come either from playing more inverted Tampa 2 and not being as aggressive (Oklahoma State in 2016 and 2018), or going up against run-centric spread teams that couldnt protect very well (Iowa State and Georgia in 2018).
Football Offensive Formations - rookieroad.com Plank was a hybrid free safety/linebacker in Buddy Ryans 46 defense. Its not a hard defense to teach as a base defense, because the responsibilities are relatively simple and straightforward, as well soon see. This blocks the vision of offensive linemen and prohibits them from double teaming anybody. Since the spread offense is so common, it would be challenging for a 46 defense to succeed. 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. If there was another school that could consistently field four excellent linebackers then perhaps this would work. 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. ", This page was last edited on 26 December 2022, at 02:00. As you can imagine with this alignment, thats a whole lot of bodies up front. As Mississippi State's defensive coordinator from 1996-2002, his defenses went from 47th to 35th to 20th to leading the nation in 1999. -Designed by Thrive Themes| Powered by WordPress. At the same time, defensive coaches can get very, very creative with the 46 defense to keep offenses off balance even more. No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner. All you need is your three defenders, and two WRs. The 46 Defense was derived from the old Double Eagle Defense of the 1940s and early-to mid 1950s. This player is the last player you want to have to make a play. (Full Explanation), What is 21 Personnel in Football? The Spying also allows you to play man-free, and bring the Mike on a blitz. Have a coach stand behind the DBs, and signal to the WRs what routes he wants them to run. Ryan also used the 46 defense as the head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and as defensive coordinator with the Houston Oilers. The entire basis behind the alignment is that different defenders will do different things every play.
Football 46 Defense - rookieroad.com The 46 was specially tuned to the personnel of the '80s Bears, which is why few teams use the 46 nowadays, and why no one uses it as a base defense. In this instance, the linebackers will be responsible for covering running backs out of the backfield or a tight end. Most 46 defense run man-to-man coverage against the pass. DIAGRAM 4: One Gap 3-4 Defense Cover 3 (Vs Pro Set). Every offensive linemen has a defensive linemen lined up directly across from him before the snap of the ball except for the strong side offensive tackle. This player needs to be able to read plays quickly and effectively and react. Otherwise, you've got your athletic weak side End, crashing hard on the play. Steve Dykes. 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). By 1985, Ryan had finished tweaking and perfecting his brainchild, and by then it was nearly unstoppable. 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. The 46 defense is just a 4-3 defense with a major wrinkle, and as such, it has many of the same strengths as the 4-3 defense does. He was a mastermind at disguising coverages and creating havoc in the backfield.
46 defense - Wikipedia Since the offense has the ball, they can choose how to run plays. 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. Go through the route concepts you believe you are going to see that week, and work them. It hasnt borne the same kind of results that it does in B1G country. It's ultimately a 3-4 defense in terms of positions on the field and pre-snap alignment . Enter your email below to get access for free: 100% Privacy Guarantee. 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. Field Hawk tells the defense we will call the strength to the field, and be in our Hawk front, which means the SS will drop off, and the Sam will now become the 9-Tech to a TE, or the 5-Tech to a no-TE set. This is largely because of multiple receiver and spread formations. I think you gotta keep offenses off balance, you gotta bring em (blitzes) to the back, away from the back, to the strength of the passing formation, away from the strength, from the boundary, from the field, you cant beas soon as an offensive coordinator in this league dials you in? This is how I would describe what Oklahoma is doing this season. [1] There are two players at linebacker depth playing linebacker technique, and then three defensive backs. One of the key cogs in the defense is the weak side defensive end. Weak side, the F$, Will and CB would have a 3-2 Mix over the two offensive WRs. The 46 defense moves quickly and wears out the offensive line with many pass rushers. For the last decade Eugene, Oregon, has been known mostly for its role in forming offensive storm systems that have indiscriminately brutalized Western U.S. college towns from late-summer through the early-winter. The defense mounts a defensive line that is hard to get through, making it nearly impossible for teams to run with the ball. In many ways its a more flexible system and more safe on the back end than what Wisconsin runs, but the cost is that you have fewer 220+ pound dudes that can rip through a RB or poorly set OL and go get the QB. After Buddy Ryan designed this play in 1978, the Chicago Bears went on to win the NFC Central in 1984 and 1985 and the Super Bowl in 1985. On the strong side, the defensive end is head up on the strong-side guard and the tackle is lined up over the center. The "charlie" linebacker, or the weak-side backer, lines up on the tight-end's inside shoulder.
46 Bear Defense | Football | Chicago Bears | Buddy Ryan On a lot of plays, there will be too many defenders for the offense to block. Hey, ask TO (Todd Orlando) that question. Thats the term I developed for Tony Gibsons 3-3-5 at West Virginia, which eventually moved away from that style when they ran out of good transfer cornerbacks. Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen. We can also Nickel package a CB for the Will Backer. 2 Defensive ends, 2 tackles, 3 linebackers, 2 safeties and 2 corners. With the pre-determined 3-0-3 down linemen, getting lined up should not be a problem. I also had a brief back and forth with Matt Wells on this topic: Besides your berserker (Wells term of endearment) friend Todd Orlando, theres been a lot of coaches known for being on the cutting edge of blitzing. No other Defensive alignment can do that.
All rights reserved. The state of Texas doesnt produce linebackers quite like the state of Wisconsin does. If he releases, they will go hug him. 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 Jack becomes the rush end on the boundary side. The basic idea of the 46 defense is that the defensive tackle lines up over the center, the other defensive tackle lines up over the right guard, and a defensive end lines up over the left guard. Spy Coverage vs. a 3 x 1 set will tell the defense to check 3Z. Sports quotes, stories, team names, and slogans. Because their aggressive blitzes are paired with the ultra-conservative inverted Tampa 2 structure and style, it tends to work out pretty well. (Full Explanation). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So for the purposes of this breakdown, well be dealing with six defensive linemen. Football 101 - Spill vs. 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 46 is eight men in the box defense with six players lining up on the line of scrimmage. Because of this, the 46 defense has been used in many different iterations at the professional and collegiate levels by coaches who wish to replicate its success. Looking back, was that a sort of harbinger of what the 46 might do against a spread? This is a great time to substitute a Nickel CB for the Will. The 46 defense, sometimes written 4-6 defense, is still used today, but not very often. The 46 defensive front. For Texas theyve mimicked that by getting extra safeties on the field rather than outside linebackers, so they have multiple guys on the field that could conceivably blitz the edge, match a slot, play an underneath zone, or even drop into a deep zone. The Lions bring more but less so because their linebackers are brilliant finishers in the pass-rush but more because their involvement creates 1-on-1 matchups for their DL, who are all quite good. The 46 defense employs only two linebackers in the traditional sense. The 46 defense is most effective against compressed offenses but vulnerable on spread offenses since there are just three defensive backs guarding against the pass. The D-Line can be defined as a Defensive End, a 3-Tech and a Nose. Force major adjustments in run and pass-blocking schemes.
"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. A 2-4-5 team that plays quarters and alternates which linebackers are involved in the pressure would be interesting to observe in the Big 12. Mike: Chris Orr, 6-0, 232. The free safety lines up more than 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage and is the last line of defense. 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. This is the scheme that made the 1985 Bears the greatest NFL defense of all time. He designed the 46 to essentially be an ultra-aggressive version of the 4-3 defense. While this was a great alignment to stop the run and pressure the QB, it was tough to keep all the coverage rules in tact as now the Will and SS were in un-natural spots on the field in reference to strong and weak sides, and had to learn more. With 7 defenders in the box, and only 5 blockers, this play should become invalid. (Moving on) Umm, thats a solid question, I respect that. Very aggressive approach oriented around the belief that JT Barrett couldnt beat their guys in man coverage. In other words, the "field" side of the secondary gets a separate call from the "boundary" side of the secondary. 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. He was adept at designing defenses that fit his team's strengths and hid their weaknesses. The fact is, the 4-3 Defense also turns into a 4-2-5 look when you start spreading . If you can beat the pressure up front and get a good ballcarrier to the second level, as Texas did on one notable occasion, then the Sooners are vulnerable. For instance, theres the third down looks that Oklahoma plays and which I mentioned earlier this week: Thats a straight bear front that then morphs into a typical four-down pressure after the snap while the jack linebacker drops into coverage (reading the RB). If you play traditional, its pretty difficult, because the schemes we use in this league are built to find seams and stuff and defenses and quarterbacks are too good. 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. The 1985 Bears were arguably the greatest team of all time. As the defense needs to change with the times, we are now using field calls to help the defenders get into position faster. Signing free-agent strong safety LaRon Landry and drafting Josh Bush and Antonio Allen gives the Jets some options, but they could still have a hard time manning up against Aaron Hernandez and Rob . One the weak side, the defensive end lines up outside of the tackle. The "jack" linebacker, or the strong-side backer, lines up outside shoulder to the tight end on the line of scrimmage. Editors note: Things broke down there at the end when I didnt phrase my question well. The 46 defense works with four down linemen, three linebackers, two corners, and two safeties on the field. The "mike" backer lines up directly across from the strong-side tackle and two yards back. DIAGRAM 5: One Gap 3-4 Defense Cover 3 (Vs Spread). The alignment of the defenders on the line of scrimmage eliminates the potential for double team blocks. Six men line up on the defensive line. 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. The rules and reads stayed the same from front to front, and it was easy to jump into the 46 from the normal Over alignment. That year, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award (best. The 85 Bears defense set NFL records for most forced turnovers and the fewest yards, points, and first downs given up in a season. Pronounced forty-six (not four-six), the 46 defense overloads the weak side of the offense and brings up the strong safety as if he were a fourth linebacker. This would be the Wisconsin method but backed by quarters coverage rather than cover 3. 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.
How do you pressure modern spread offenses? - Concerning Sports Whatever Happened to the 46 Defense? - Bleacher Report Defensive tackles: The weak side defensive tackle lines up on the outside shoulder of the guard. During 7 on 7 time, be sure to throw in some speed-option by the offense, to make sure that the underneath run-stop defenders are getting their reads. The Bears defensive coordinator at the time, the legendary Buddy Ryan, created the 46 defense as a way to put loads of pressure on the offense, stacking the line of scrimmage. They usually get to this front by moving a LB up over the center, or bring both OLBs to outside rushers. By running the ball effectively, you can open up your passing game against the 46 defense. Those teams fielded some of the best front-seven defenses ever, and included such players as Jerome Brown, Mike Singletary, Steve McMichael, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, Clyde Simmons, Reggie White, Otis Wilson, Seth Joyner, William Fuller, and Wilber Marshall. Also, timed passes can be thrown before the players blitzing have a chance to reach the quarterback. The weak-side defensive tackle and strong-side defensive end will have primary B gap responsibilities.