Mike Singeltary - 46 Defense

[TheCardFan]

When Mike becomes a HC or DC will he be using the 46?

ESPN is having an amazing series profiling each of the SB champs and I watched the one on the 85 Bears...Mike is one of the narrator's and I must say I was extremely impressed by him. He will be one hell of a HC someday and I would be even more excited if he was to champion the 46.

Also, the 3 LB's on the Bears in 85 had to be one of the if not the greatest 3 of all time on one team at the same time. 58, 50, and 55 were unreal.

 

[Ryanwb]

Does anyone run the 46 anymore?

 

[green machine]

I think Singletary is supposed to be a 3-4 guy.

 

[Lorenzo]

I think Singletary is supposed to be a 3-4 guy.

Singletary is currently a 49ers linebackers coach. They do run the 3-4. I think singletary will make a great coach. I hope the cowboys give him a legit shot at the HC or DC position. Anyway I think he will have success wherever he goes. That 46 defense was ridiculous. all of that pressure on the qb is a lost art.

 

[Espo]

I think Singletary is supposed to be a 3-4 guy.

He is only tied to the 3-4 right now because he has been with Mike Nolan in San Fran and Baltimore. There is speculation he may run a more conventional 4-3 like that run by Vince Tobin.

 

[Ryanwb]

Didn't the 46 defense quickly go out of style because of how easily exploitable it is for the passing games now-a-days. I mean if it's so awesome why don't people run it?

 

[nurnay]

Didn't the 46 defense quickly go out of style because of how easily exploitable it is for the passing games now-a-days. I mean if it's so awesome why don't people run it?

I think the 46 went out with Buddy Ryan's Cardinals. That scheme worked great early on, but teams learned to exploit it. I don't think anyone has used it in quite a long time.

(It was fun while it lasted, though)

 

[TheCardFan]

Do either of Buddy's sons use it?

Is is lack of knowledge or is a usless defense today?

It was an amazing defense if you had the proper skill people and it's hard to imagine a defense not being effective by pressuring the qb...Buddy had success with it in Chi, Philly, and Az. In Az, it was our offense that stunk it up.

 

[nurnay]

Do either of Buddy's sons use it?

Is is lack of knowledge or is a usless defense today?

It was an amazing defense if you had the proper skill people and it's hard to imagine a defense not being effective by pressuring the qb...Buddy had success with it in Chi, Philly, and Az. In Az, it was our offense that stunk it up.

It wasn't just bad offense. Teams started burning the defense bad once they learned how to take advantage of the over-aggressiveness nature of the defense.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

It wasn't just bad offense. Teams started burning the defense bad once they learned how to take advantage of the over-aggressiveness nature of the defense.

Screen and draw plays already go for first downs against us. Could you imagine would it would be like if we were running a 46 defense?

 

[BACH]

Do either of Buddy's sons use it?

Is is lack of knowledge or is a usless defense today?

It was an amazing defense if you had the proper skill people and it's hard to imagine a defense not being effective by pressuring the qb...Buddy had success with it in Chi, Philly, and Az. In Az, it was our offense that stunk it up.

Baltimore uses it.

 

[Pariah]

the 46 is used here and there...but never as a base anymore. Short passes kill it--teams adjusted to it fast.

 

[JC_AZ]

I think the success of the 46 is more determined by the personnel running it...the Bears defense was so dominating during the Ryan-Singletary years and somehow other teams were not able to 'exploit it'...running the 46 with the right personnel can still be very dominating...even then the Bears DB's were not GREAT, but the Safety's (Plank & Fencik - substitute AW and Francisco) were pretty damn scary...we could add Briggs with a healthy Dansby and Hayes and be pretty scary too if we keep oour D-Line healthy to... lots of IF's but the potential is there

 

[vinnymac]

people play different version of the 46 defense. bringing the saftey up in the box to give that 8th player in the box to help stop the run is version of the 46 defense.

 

[Pariah]

...even then the Bears DB's were not GREAT, but the Safety's (Plank & Fencik - substitute AW and Francisco) were pretty damn scary...

I don't think PLank ever played in the 46. His final season was Dikta and Buddy's first, and he was injured. The safetys were Fencik and Todd Bell, and then during the superbowl run, Dave Duerson.

Their CBs that dominant season were nothing spectacular. Leslie Fraizer, and...Vestee Jackson, I think (or was it Shawn Gayle?...either way, the point remains). Utterly forgettable. The reason the defense was successful was because of the crazy pressure from seemingly every angle. The front 7 and sometimes 8 was awesome...the defensive backfield save for Fencik and maybe Duerson, not so much.

(BTW, I was a bears fan growing up)

 

[Mulli]

Buddy named the 46 after Doug Plank's jersey number.

 

[JeffGollin]

the 46 is used here and there...but never as a base anymore. Short passes kill it--teams adjusted to it fast.

Correcto.

When Buddy used it here, it met with mixed success because we only had one corner (Aeneas) who could successfully operate on the island in man coverage. Among the cast of characters playing opposite Aeneas were James Williams, Toastito Paul, Patrick Hunter and Lance Brown (who?). For every big play that Joyner or Simmons would make, opposing QB's would torch us deep on the side opposite Aeneas. I vaguely recall that Aikman and Irvin got rich against Buddy's 46 coverage on repeated fly patterns down the left sideline.

That said - if a team has 2 or 3 shutdown corners in its secondary, I believe the 46 could still raise considerable hell throughout the league.

 

[Pariah]

Buddy named the 46 after Doug Plank's jersey number.

That may be, but he didn't play more than a handful of games in it.

 

[Mulli]

That may be, but he didn't play more than a handful of games in it.

I didn't think I saw Plank on many of the highlight films.

 

[Pariah]

I didn't think I saw Plank on many of the highlight films.

Do I remember correctly...did Gary Fencik run for Mayor?