AFC Championship & NFC Championship Picks – NFL
Saturday, January 23, 2010 17:01AFC Championship & NFL Championship predictions and game analysis.
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP PICK AND ANALYSIS
JETS STILL A MIRAGE?
Being a Pittsburgh fan, I’ve seen Rex Ryan work his defensive magic twice a year for much of the last decade. His schemes utilize coverages, formations, and attack plans from the “46″ defense devised by his dad, Buddy Ryan.
The West Coast offense was, in large part, created to exploit the 46’s reliance on unbalanced alignment to the weak side (opposite the tight end), forcing the other side of the offense’s formation to block man. The alignment itself confused offenses in that it blew up the pulling guard’s assignments and the pass blocking angles of the other linemen.
The theory was to have at least one more guy rushing/attacking the line than the offense could block. The 46 scheme was based on unrelenting pressure–creating havoc on every play.
The 46’s weakness, in its first incarnation under Ryan, was its reliance on the defense’s front seven–often eight or nine–to be within just three or four yards of the line of scrimmage, making it vulnerable to a quick slant or a tight end hitch route on the strong side. In effect, the 46 freed the tight end as a receiver, and, once teams readjusted their blocking schemes, a strong-side trap play could create a huge hole and a long run.
That’s why after 1985, the elder Ryan’s defense didn’t endure–it is too risky and, if you don’t have the right personnel, it can be a disaster. It is also part of the reason why the tight ends after 1985 became prized for their pass-catching ability as much as their blocking skills.
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