Ravens to move to 46 defense

[Big Red]

From The Baltimore Sun

 

Ravens' 'D' adds up to '46'

Rex Ryan says defense will use scheme invented by his father

By Jamison Hensley

Sun Staff

Originally published May 25, 2005

Dusting off a family heirloom yesterday, first-year coordinator Rex Ryan announced the Ravens will unleash the 46 defense this season.

 

At the team's first coaching clinic with the media, Ryan said the Ravens will keep some of the looks of the 3-4 defense they used last year but will incorporate a heavy dose of the scheme that his father, Buddy, invented for the dominant Chicago Bears teams.

 

This style of defense is a highly pressurized one that relies on an eight-man front to stop the run and sophisticated blitzes to smother the pass.

 

It's believed no NFL team has run the 46 defense exclusively since Buddy Ryan left the NFL in 1995 after being fired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

 

"We're not going to play the 46 just because my dad is going to kick my butt [if we don't]," Ryan said. "We're going to play it because it makes sense to play it. This is going to be a big part of what we do defensively."

 

This defense was named "46" after the uniform number of Doug Plank, the Bears' safety who dropped down behind the linemen as an extra inside linebacker. His role on the Ravens will be played by Will Demps.

 

Ray Lewis, who will be the Ravens' Mike Singletary, should have the same freedom to roam sideline to sideline while blockers are occupied by the Ravens' six-man line (nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu, ends Tony Weaver and Kelly Gregg, strong-side linebacker Adalius Thomas, weak-side linebacker Tommy Polley and rush end Terrell Suggs).

 

And Suggs is expected to be this version's Richard Dent, a pass rusher who can thrive on the one-on-one matchups forced by this deceptive and innovative scheme.

 

By having the ends line up wide of the guards and the nose tackle occupying the center, it virtually eliminates any double teams. And with three linebackers stacking the line, offenses didn't know who was covering and who was charging.

 

In a recent episode of SportsCentury on ESPN Classic about the 46 defense, there were numerous interviews with opponents who expressed their desperation, confusion and even fear at facing the 46.

 

"We're going to pressure more than we've ever done in the past," Ryan said. "Everyone in the league will come in with the same mind-set: 'Oh shoot, here they come.' We are not going to disappoint them."

 

Coach Brian Billick said no one knows more about this defense than Ryan, who co-wrote Coaching Football's 46 Defense a few years ago to instruct high school and college coaches.

 

And no one has a better sounding board, given Ryan's frequent calls to his father.

 

"He's probably as excited as I am about this," Ryan said. "We talked about how this gets the bull's eye off Ray. He said, 'He doesn't need to be that big anymore, he doesn't need to be a nose guard this year.'"

 

Last season in the 3-4 defense (three linemen and four linebackers), offenses frequently were able to get free blockers on Lewis. But the 46 defense is designed to allow Lewis to once again become the league's dominant defensive player.

 

"He's the most explosive athlete in the league," Ryan said. "We want him to be the run-hit guy. We want him getting to the ball."

 

Another remedy to free up Lewis would be moving back full time to the 4-3 defense.

 

But Suggs and Thomas are considered too small to play defensive end every down, so the Ravens have decided to capitalize on their abilities to rush the passer and drop into coverage. Their versatility gives Ryan the option of switching into the 46, the 4-3, the 3-4 and even the 6-1 alignments just before the snap.

 

Asked how often the Ravens will line up in the 46 defense, Ryan said: "The good thing is they don't know if we're going to run it one snap or every snap. If a team can't handle it, they're going to see a whole lot. If we think they've got a good answer, then we won't run it. But if we feel we need it, it's like aspirin, and we're going to take it."

 

The one negative against the 46 is its reputation of being high risk, high reward.

By jamming the line, the defense has fewer players in deep coverage and makes it more susceptible to the big pass plays.

 

"I think that's classified wrong," Ryan said. "We're going to be aggressive. If we do give up a touchdown deep, we're going to hear about it. But we plan on making a lot more plays than we're giving up."

 

 

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The Ravens have the benefit of two Pro Bowl cornerbacks in Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle along with Ed Reed, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, roaming the secondary.

 

"The fact that we have those kind of cover guys will make it much better," Ryan said. "We don't have to sit back and hold our breath."

 

After Ryan unveiled the defense's new look, Billick talked about how his relationship with him has come full circle.

 

Their first meeting came 15 years ago in Toronto, where Ryan spoke about the 46 defense at a coaching clinic.

 

"It's going to be an interesting marriage with what he plans philosophically with a very unique, elite group of physical talent," Billick said. "We're going to do some things you haven't seen in this league in a long time."

 

NOTES: Left guard Edwin Mulitalo, who had surgery in late December to repair torn triceps in his left arm, said his rehabilitation remains on schedule. "We've set the pace to come back to training camp," he said. ...

 

The Ravens signed safety Chris Kelley, a former University of Maryland player whose career was slowed by injuries to both knees. "It's always been in the back of my head to never stop believing," said Kelley, who participated in the Washington Redskins' rookie minicamp last month but was not signed. "Since I was a little kid, I always wanted to be in the NFL. I'm glad I got the opportunity to come out here and want to make the best of it. I'm going to get out there, bang some heads and make some plays." ...

 

The first scuffle of the offseason broke out when about a handful of players piled on one another during drills between the offensive and defensive lines. One player said the fight broke out when a backup offensive lineman pushed defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin.

 

[Swiss Cheezhead]

This is interesting. I'm guessing Demps and Lewis stand to benefit most, statistically, from this change...?

 

Maybe we could throw this thread to the wolves in the IDP forum and make more sense of it.

[Ziachild007]

This defense was named "46" after the uniform number of Doug Plank, the Bears' safety who dropped down behind the linemen as an extra inside linebacker. His role on the Ravens will be played by Will Demps.

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