Why are more teams switching to 3-4?

[furley]

The entire AFC East division is the 3-4 defense now. Next season, Washington will change to the 3-4.

Is it the head coach or the talent level on your roster that dictates which teams will switch from one to the other? I know it's said that the NFL is a copycat league, but only if other teams see you having prolonged success in that alignment.

For New England, should they draft one more nose tackle even after re-signing Wilfork. I think you have to... Look at Green Bay, they've Pickett and Raji. You better have depth because the competition for this particular position is becoming more evident.

I remember Wilfork liked Raji... I wonder who he likes of Dan Williams, Terrence Cody or Cam Thomas.

 

[RayClay]

The entire AFC East division is the 3-4 defense now. Next season, Washington will change to the 3-4.

Is it the head coach or the talent level on your roster that dictates which teams will switch from one to the other? I know it's said that the NFL is a copycat league, but only if other teams see you having prolonged success in that alignment.

For New England, should they draft one more nose tackle even after re-signing Wilfork. I think you have to... Look at Green Bay, they've Pickett and Raji. You better have depth because the competition for this particular position is becoming more evident.

I remember Wilfork liked Raji... I wonder who he likes of Dan Williams, Terrence Cody or Cam Thomas.

Seems like the Parcells BB tree.

For New England, should they draft one more nose tackle even after re-signing Wilfork.

We drafted Brace in the second round.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

Seems like the Parcells BB tree.

which is actually the chuck fairbanks tree

 

[Badluck]

The best Ds in the league run the 3-4, everyone wants the best D in the league
Jets
Green Bay
Ravens
Steelers
Broncos

 

[tobias funke]

The NFL is a passing league and a speed league.

Running the 3-4 enables you to get more speed on the field on any given down, and also theoretically allows you to disguise your 4th pass rusher more easily than when you run 4 down lineman.

On the other hand, not every team runs the 3-4 the same way. The Steelers and Jets run a pressure-based 3-4, while the Patriots are a read-react defense that focuses on stopping the run.

That's obviously a basic assessment, and doesn't take into account sub packages, but that's the way I see it.

 

[RayClay]

which is actually the chuck fairbanks tree

No, it's not. Parcells never worked for Fairbanks. He used a version of the Fairbanks Bullough 3-4, but I believe he was using the 3-4 at Texas Tech with Crennell somewhat too.

You can put them all in the Bud Wilkinson tree, if you want to.

 

[mcsully]

With the Spread offense, teams can use the 3-4 and add more speed to the field and not lose the ability to stop the run..

So many teams are running of out the 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB..

 

[BritPat]

The best Ds in the league run the 3-4, everyone wants the best D in the league
Jets
Green Bay
Ravens
Steelers - couldn't stop the pass
Broncos - couldn't stop the run

But you fail to mention the Eagles, the Vikings, the Bengals....

More importantly, three of the final four teams in the playoffs ran the 4-3.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

No, it's not. Parcells never worked for Fairbanks. He used a version of the Fairbanks Bullough 3-4, but I believe he was using the 3-4 at Texas Tech with Crennell somewhat too.

You can put them all in the Bud Wilkinson tree, if you want to.

parcells first real NFL work was under erhardt as LB coach when erhardt took over for fairbanks.......

fairbanks -> erhardt -> parcells -> BB

 

[reflexblue]

which is actually the chuck fairbanks tree

Which was used sometimes in Miami in the seventies under shula.....just sayin it don't make no matter.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

Which was used sometimes in Miami in the seventies under shula.....just sayin it don't make no matter.

st louis cardinals used a variation, but they called it the 5-2

 

[reflexblue]

st louis cardinals used a variation, but they called it the 5-2

Im sure it was used before shula used it. Thats just as far back as i know it to go

 

[tanked_as_usual]

Im sure it was used before shula used it. Thats just as far back as i know it to go

ya.....there's no need

 

[RayClay]

parcells first real NFL work was under erhardt as LB coach when erhardt took over for fairbanks.......

fairbanks -> erhardt -> parcells -> BB

So It's the Erhardt tree.

Ridiculous.

 

[satz]

COST

top line DE cost alot of money and you can count in 1 hand the top DE in the league. they are so few and then they cost alot. You need 1 very good and 1good one to be effective in a 4-3. too much money on the DL.The jags even had a top 10 pick and a few 1st rd pass rushers and cannot find a guy.

Talent

With 4-3 DE being a premium you use the slower smaller DE [Cheaper] to play OLB.NT and 3-4 ENDs are comparable to DT [again bigger slower]cheaper guys.

Matchup

4-3 is ver vannilla and the opposing OL is not challenged to make reads and change protection package unless you are bringing a extra LB. In a 3-4 the ILB is big enough to take on gaurds so rolling blocking and pickng up blitzers needs a smarter OL, a reason the gaurds are making more money now.

You are also forcing the QB to pick a Mike LB and set coverage every down.

So even with less talent you are generating more presure and confusion.

 

[furley]

During an interview with Wilfork on the radio, his response to a statement made by one of the hosts struck me as interesting. The host informed him of being the highest paid nose tackle in the NFL. Wilfork responded by asserting that he viewed himself as a defensive lineman; capable of doing more than one thing on defense. I took this as meaning that he doesn't want to be pigeon hole. Also, I think he took offense to the statement somewhat.

I know that the Patriots selected Ron Brace but he seemingly struggled when called upon and won't provide insurance for Wilfork if he continues to struggle next season. Perhaps, they select Cam Thomas if he's still available in the fourth round. Myron Pryor is someone else who was drafted along with Brace, but I would feel more comfortable if another nose tackle was selected this year.

 

[florazona]

I think good coaches will coach with the personnel they have, and if you only have one (good) linebacker, you’re not going to play a 3-4. ”
—Hank Bullough, who installed one of the first 3-4 defenses with the New England Patriots

Fairbanks brought the 3-4 to the NFL. Earnhart, Bullough were on the staff. Parcells and BB are from the Fairbanks tree although they didnt work for him.






In a 2007 press conference Belichick said the following of Fairbanks: "I think Chuck has had a tremendous influence on the league as well as this organization in terms of nomenclature and terminology and those kinds of things. I'm sure Chuck could walk in and look at our playbook and probably 80 percent of the plays are the same terminology that he used - whether it be formations or coverages or pass protections. We were sitting there talking yesterday and he was saying, 'How much 60 protection are you guys using? How much 80 are you using?' All of the stuff that was really the fundamentals of his system are still in place here even, again, to the way we call formations and plays and coverages and some of our individual calls within a call, a certain adjustment or things that Red (Miller) and Hank (Bullough) and Ron (Erhardt) and those guys used when they were here." ;[5].

Chuck Fairbanks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Because they're idiots. Because the Patriots were successful with it in the early to mid decade, and now teams think that their defense can be flexible, stop the run, and be championship caliber. What these nitwits don't realize is the Patriots were able to snatch up all of the best 3-4 players since their wasn't much competition for their services. Tweener players like Richard Seymour, a perfect 3-4 player, will no longer be looked at by just a handful of teams. Versatile linebackers like Vrabel and McGinest have now become the first thing teams look for. Meanwhile, many teams don't realize that Belichick's 3-4 (and sometimes 4-3) was perfect for the Patriots because it fits his defensive philosophy and schemes. Teams are now switching to the 3-4 without the foundations of why they're doing it.

 

[slash83]

Its a copy cat league.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

But you fail to mention the Eagles, the Vikings, the Bengals....

More importantly, three of the final four teams in the playoffs ran the 4-3.

Yes, and maybe.

The Colts and Vikings are Tampa-2 defenses - that is who they hired as Defensive Coordinators. New Orleans ran some 30 fronts against NE when they whomped up on them during the season, while not a classic 3-4 team, they seem to operate a multi-front defense from a base 4-3, much as NE operates a multi-front defense from a base 3-4. Greg Williams is a DC who isn't stuck in the mud mentally.

When you go back a step to the final eight: You get five teams, plus NO, who operate 3-4s or 3-4 hybrids.

The two multiple SB winning teams in the 2000-2009 decade - NE (3), Pit (2) - classic 3-4 teams.

The bottom line is the 3-4 works and is proving to be a good base for dealing with spread offense teams (look at the headaches the 3-4 has given Peyton Manning all these years).