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How would you feel about us moving to a 3-4 Defense?

I've been a 3-4 guy for 15 years. Biggest knock against the 3-4 is that nobody understands it. (mainly casual football fans and slapd!ck HS coaches)

The misconceptions I've heard about the 3-4 are plentiful and sometimes downright comical.

At the end of the day there's 3 things that are 100% facts and undeniable advantages...

1. It's more versatile than the 4-3. A simple slide this way, or slide that way, and you can turn your 3-4 into a 4-3 or a 5-2.
There's at least 5 different fronts that you can move into from the 3-4. It also allows you to add more versatility and surprise to your blitz schemes.

2. It's symmetrical, unlike the 4-3. This means there's technically no "strong" side and thus it's easier to adjust to different formations and/or motions.

3. It's harder to block. Any O-line coach will tell you that a 4-3 is much easier to block than a 3-4. The 4-3 alignment pretty much declares what gaps the D-linemen are accounting for. The Odd alignment makes it harder for OL to identify which gaps the D-linemen have and/or who the 4th rusher is going to be. The DL can slant left, slant right, pinch, jet outside, etc. Combine that DL movement with a 4th and/or 5th rusher coming via the LB position and it provides a very hazy picture for O-linemen who have to make split second decisions.

At the end of the day, you don't have to live in the 3-4 alignment. A simple slide to one side puts you in a 4-3. Most 3-4 guys still utilize some 4-front stuff.
So some of yall are trippin' over a non-issue.
 
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I love the 4-2-5 but so long as we play like the Canes of old I couldn't care worth a rat's a$$ what we play.
 
4-3 vs 3-4 is not really the big questions anymore, most good defenses are fairly multiple and nobody sits in a base all game. I think the real discussion most people care about is 1gap vs 2gap (generally speaking, aggressive front vs read and react).

Derek Mason runs a good defense but its a little too far on the 2gap side for my liking. I want someone more aggressive who gets their DL upfield.
 
Coach Macho said:
I've been a 3-4 guy for 15 years. Biggest knock against the 3-4 is that nobody understands it. (mainly casual football fans and slapd!ck HS coaches)

The misconceptions I've heard about the 3-4 are plentiful and sometimes downright comical.

At the end of the day there's 3 things that are 100% facts and undeniable advantages...

1. It's more versatile than the 4-3. A simple slide this way, or slide that way, and you can turn your 3-4 into a 4-3 or a 5-2.
There's at least 5 different fronts that you can move into from the 3-4. It also allows you to add more versatility and surprise to your blitz schemes.

2. It's symmetrical, unlike the 4-3. This means there's technically no "strong" side and thus it's easier to adjust to different formations and/or motions.

3. It's harder to block. Any O-line coach will tell you that a 4-3 is much easier to block than a 3-4. The 4-3 alignment pretty much declares what gaps the D-linemen are accounting for. The Odd alignment makes it harder for OL to identify which gaps the D-linemen have and/or who the 4th rusher is going to be. The DL can slant left, slant right, pinch, jet outside, etc. Combine that DL movement with a 4th and/or 5th rusher coming via the LB position and it provides a very hazy picture for O-linemen who have to make split second decisions.

At the end of the day, you don't have to live in the 3-4 alignment. A simple slide to one side puts you in a 4-3. Most 3-4 guys still utilize some 4-front stuff.
So some of yall are trippin' over a non-issue.
Click to expand...
Coach, enjoyed your takes on defense and the fact that you're local. Thank you for contributing. Fair to say that the one key thing a 3-4 must have is big, heavy meat up front? The bigger the bodies, the better, no? I mean to run that you want 3 dudes that if needed can swallow up 5 blockers, or are you thinking that we even have those kind of bodies on the team right now (talking Canes, of course)? Hope my question makes sense. I'll hang up and listen, lol.
 
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UnForgiven said:
Coach, enjoyed your takes on defense and the fact that you're local. Thank you for contributing. Fair to say that the one key thing a 3-4 must have is big, heavy meat up front? The bigger the bodies, the better, no? I mean to run that you want 3 dudes that if needed can swallow up 5 blockers, or are you thinking that we even have those kind of bodies on the team right now (talking Canes, of course)? Hope my question makes sense. I'll hang up and listen, lol.
Click to expand...
Yeah you definitely should have a stout Nose Tackle, otherwise he'll end-up in the Linebackers lap. But IMO it's not much different than recruiting a 4-3 D-tackle to play the A-gap.
The DE's have to be big too, but you can use "undersized" D-tackles for that roll. (kids that are 280-290)
A kid like Leonard Taylor could double-duty as a DT in the 4-3 and a DE in the 3-4. Same goes for Harrison-Hunte.
 
Coach Macho said:
1. It's more versatile than the 4-3. A simple slide this way, or slide that way, and you can turn your 3-4 into a 4-3 or a 5-2.
There's at least 5 different fronts that you can move into from the 3-4. It also allows you to add more versatility and surprise to your blitz schemes.
Click to expand...

What about the super surprise delayed safety blitz from 17 yards away? Can the 3-4 accommodate that?
 
Coach Macho said:
Yeah you definitely should have a stout Nose Tackle, otherwise he'll end-up in the Linebackers lap. But IMO it's not much different than recruiting a 4-3 D-tackle to play the A-gap.
The DE's have to be big too, but you can use "undersized" D-tackles for that roll. (kids that are 280-290)
A kid like Leonard Taylor could double-duty as a DT in the 4-3 and a DE in the 3-4. Same goes for Harrison-Hunte.
Click to expand...
Thanks for a clear response! So realistically, we're missing the right NT, and of course, extra help on the line won't hurt but technically speaking the NT monster is the key we would hope Cristobal can bring in?
 
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