46 Defense

Lore & Background

Unlike most defensive formations that take their names from the number of defensive linemen and linebackers on the field, the name '46' originally came from the jersey number of Doug Plank, who was a starting strong safety for the Bears when Ryan developed the defense, a role typically played in the formation as a surrogate linebacker.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Soldier Field was thick with anticipation, a physical weight pressing down on the gridiron. On the sideline, Buddy Ryan barked instructions, his eyes locked on the opposing quarterback scanning for an opening. The huddle broke, and the Bears' defense erupted onto the field in their signature alignment: eight men crowding the line of scrimmage, a wall of black and orange jerseys that seemed to stretch from hash mark to hash mark. As the center snapped the ball, chaos ensued. Richard Dent exploded off the edge, while William 'The Fridge' Perry surged through the middle like a runaway train. The quarterback never saw the blitz; he was swallowed whole before his eyes could find a receiver.

Reader's Guide

The 46 defense was an innovative defense with a unique defensive front, designed to confuse and put pressure on the opposing offense, especially their quarterback. Compared to a 4–3 base defense, the 46 dramatically shifts the defensive line to the weak side, with both guards and the center 'covered' by the left defensive end and both defensive tackles. Another key feature is that both outside linebackers tend to play on the strong side of the formation. The linebackers line up behind the linemen somewhere between one and three yards from the line of scrimmage. The primary tactic is to rush between five and eight players on each play. Another major key is the ability of the cornerbacks to play man free and bump and run coverage. The formation was very effective in the 1980s NFL because it often negated a team's running game and forced them to throw the ball. Currently, the 46 is rarely used in professional and college football, largely because of multiple receiver and spread formations. A weakness is that with eight defensive players near the line of scrimmage and only three in the secondary, it leaves areas open for receivers to catch passes. Also, timed passes can be thrown before the blitzers reach the quarterback. Another problem 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 and the 1993 Houston Oilers, did.

Did You Know?

• The 46 defense is named after the jersey number of Doug Plank, a starting strong safety, not a linebacker.
• The 46 defense was originally developed and popularized by defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, not head coach Mike Ditka.
• The 46 defense is most effective against the two-back, two-wide receiver sets common in the 1980s.