Wishbone and 46 (can it still work in modern day NFL)

[sven233]

1 hour ago, hondo in seattle said:

The 46 defense put 8 in the box and relied on man coverage.  In today's NFL with spread offenses, 3 wideouts, and TEs that often run like deer, I wouldn't see the 46 working.  Coverage would break down and give up chunk plays. 

 

Also, the 46 relied on a lot of blitzing to brutalize QBs and make it hard for them to take advantage of man coverage.  That could still work to some extent I suppose, but QBs are less statuesque and more mobile now than they were in the 1980s.

 

Incidentally, it's the "46 defense" (named after #46, Doug Plank), not the "4-6 defense" because it has nothing to do with alignment.  

 

 

Living in a world where 64% of people lie on resumes and social media reeks of self-aggrandizement, I love the honest humility!

 

 

While I have my doubts that it would work long term in the NFL, I would love to see a team invest heavily into the best man to man CBs I could find.  Load up with them.  Then, instead of playing base defense, I would like to rush with numbers.  Put your lock down CBs on an island and rush everyone else.  If they are blocking with 5, bring 6 or 7.  It's basically playing Cover 0 all the time, but you would have to structure your team to be able to hold up on the back end.  That's why you would have to have 3-4 premier CBs and get the most speed and power you can find everywhere else.  They don't have to be stars because you are sending everyone, but they have to be "traitsy".  If you are rushing 7 or 8, I would hope you can stop the run since every gap should be covered in theory "run downs" and you would have to keep an eye on RBs leaking out.  But, if you are coming in waves, you can somewhat dictate to the offense what personnel they put out there and they would almost be forced to keep a TE or extra lineman in to block.  So, it would take away some of the mystery of what the offense can do.

 

Regardless, I don't think we'll ever see it because it is such a drastic change in the way you would have to play and you would have to full on commit to building your entire defense around the scheme.  All your money and top picks would probably be funneled into the CB position because you need the best back there to pull it off.  That's why you do see Cover 0 be very effective in spurts.  But eventually they get burned because teams just don't have enough lock down CBs to make it work for extended periods of time.  But I would love to see a team try it on a regular basis.

[Billzgobowlin]

Any types of schemes can work for a little bit until they are figured out.  Best chance of success is being multi-dimensional.  Don't let the defense cue up on a specific type of offense.