The 46, aged and grilled to perfection

There's been some chatter about the old 46 defense lately - not to be confused with John Candy's Old 96er in The Great Outdoors -  mainly because the Jets are looking to implement more of it in 2012, according to The Star-Ledger. While we all have visions of Mike Singletary and the Bears flustering and thumping block-padded eighties' offenses using the 46, it's hard to know what actually transpired when the formation unfolded. Part of that was due to the swirling movement in the middle, the other part probably due to beer.

Buddy Ryan's 46 is simply a version of the 4-3, stacking eight in the box but six on the line. Key to any play was clogging the middle with three boulders opposing the offensive line's middle. These men, if they were big enough - and in Chicago they were bigger than the Sears, the Chase and Hancock combined - would essentially steer the play the way they wanted. That meant running was futile. Then on the pass, Ryan sent everyone like a pack of wolves. The strong safety also came down in the box and played like a linebacker, on the balls of his feet, ready to pounce. It was fast, furious and more distracting to a signal-caller than Jordana Brewster.