Plank discusses origin of '46' defense

Longtime Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 82, named the famed "46" defense after Doug Plank.The hard-hitting safety, who spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Bears from 1975-82, explained the origin of the "46" defense last September during an appearance on Bears Roundtable.

Former Bears safety Doug Plank"[Ryan] never called anybody by their name," Plank said at the time. "You were either a number or you were an adjective and it usually wasn't a complimentary adjective. So I was a number; I was very thankful. He drew all the numbers on [a chalkboard] and he brought me down from the free safety position and put me right in that middle…