Ryan’s “46” Could be Resurrected in New Orleans
 

Although Gregg Williams only served as the Special Teams coach for one year under then defensive coordinator of the Houston Oilers Buddy Ryan, the inventor of the 46 defense (named for Chicago Bears’ starting safety Doug Plank since he would be a crucial element in the original defense as a surrogate linebacker), he studied Ryan’s defensive philosophies intensely and incorporated them into his own schemes over his many years as a defensive coordinator himself since that 1993 season in Houston.

http://isportsweb.com/wp-content/upl...green.svg_.png

Williams spent a total of seven years (1990-1996) with the Houston Oilers in his first professional coaching assignment as a Defensive Assistant, then Special Teams (’93) coach and eventually linebackers coach (’94-’96) before the team was moved to Nashville and became the Titans. From 1997-2000, Williams was promoted to Defensive Coordinator in Tennessee where the Titans led the league in total defense and only gave up 191 points, the third fewest in the NFL since the league adopted the 16-game schedule in 1978. That same Gregg Williams led defense also helped lead the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, after the 1999 season, where they lost to the St Louis Rams and “The Greatest Show on Turf.”

Full article below.
New Orleans Saints News

My favorite part of a pretty well written article.


Also, if Casillas and Wilson progress as expected, Jonathan Vilma will be our slowest LB.

Wow. Williams loves speed, and he now has it at almost every spot on defense. Even Rogers is quick for a 350lb NT.

Fast and Furious should be our 2011 slogan.

That article has me ready for some football. We need a deal soon!

Ok, thanks for the positive comment, but just "pretty well written" and not VERY well written? Come on now! I thought it was very good myself, although that's called patting yourself on the back since I wrote it, right?

Ya'll should feel free to post comments directly to the bottom of the article on isportsweb where they now have an updated comment system which allows you to post replies to replies in real-time.

Thanks again for all the reads of my latest Saints article on Isportsweb.com, by the way!

You wrote that? Well done Derrick. I thought it was a mainstream sports news outlet.

Jenkins makes a perfect backend safety on a 4-6 and we all know what Harper excels in. I'd have no issues if we were ever to morph into a base 4-6 D. Pressure pressure pressure!

I thought you had more than just one comment in here Strato. What happened to the others?

Those comments "magically" disappeared... and we'll leave it as that.

Since Gregg Williams has been with the Saints, they have used the 46 formation from time to time. I do see the Saints using more of it, as they continue to adjust the personal. However, I do not believe the Saints (or any team) will be able to use it as a primary base defense. The problem with the 46 is the West Coast type of offense can easily rip it apart. Most teams these days do employ at least some variation of a West Coast offense. The 46 as a special package from time to time, can still be very lethal.

I like it!!

I'd like to se a 46 and think it could be quite effective. We must remember however that speed isn't everything; remember the players Haslett drafted, you could think it was a Track team he was trying to build.

No matter how often we run it we will have even more options to confuse and pummel other offenses. Who knows, LBer could be just as much fun to watch at training camp as RB or CB. Regardless, our defense is going to be dominant.

wow... just wow...

I want it.

I like the 4-6, but any team trying to run this full-time now as they Bears used to will get burned. The strict rules on illegal contact, QB hits, pass interference and now defenseless receiver are turning aggressive defense into a relic.

The 4-6 could still serve as a nice change of pace for a few downs to apply some pressure on the offense.

I'd bet we'll see some 46, some 3-4, 4-3 and so on. GW likes to run a multiple front defence and I think it will just continue to evolve the longer he stays in NO.

Right. So now I am guessing that MatthewT, neugey and Crusader didn't read the entire article?

I never said that I thought Gregg Williams would use the 46 defense as a base defense. I said that I thought he would use it more often than he has thus far with the Saints' defensive players because of the better, faster personnel that he now has at his disposal and that I thought he would use it on an as needed basis to get more pressure on the QB.

GW loves using multiple sets between variations of the 4-3, the 3-4 and even the 46 and that will never change. He sees all of these different looks as tools to confuse the opposing offenses and try to get them to make mistakes that will result in potential turnovers in his favor. Plain and simple. Anything to get the ball back into the hands of the master Drew Brees again! Works for me...

easy, big guy. you're in a laid back part O' the internet.

carry on with your interesting self.