DB positions in the 3-4

[notex]

Hey i know that there are major differences in the front 7 or 8 in the 3-4 or 4-3.
I was wondering if there were different philosophies regarding the strategies of the DB in these systems. For example, does a SS in a 3-4 have the same responsibilities as one in the 4-3 ect....

i was reading a Mock draft and kept reading "so-and-so would fit into a 4-3 perfectly" yet when it came to DB i saw the colts and pats both take Merriweather in different mocks...and they have very different systems..

might be a dumb question but hey... its offseason

 

[TripleOption]

Hey i know that there are major differences in the front 7 or 8 in the 3-4 or 4-3.
I was wondering if there were different philosophies regarding the strategies of the DB in these systems. For example, does a SS in a 3-4 have the same responsibilities as one in the 4-3 ect....

i was reading a Mock draft and kept reading "so-and-so would fit into a 4-3 perfectly" yet when it came to DB i saw the colts and pats both take Merriweather in different mocks...and they have very different systems..

might be a dumb question but hey... its offseason

DB play is DB play. The Front is almost meaningless. The variations come when a team is primarily a Man team, Cover 2 team etc.

 

[AzPatsFan]

As others have said the defensive backfield is more a question of whether the coaches prefer a man to man or zone.

BB likes to do both, if he has the players but prefers the zone in most cases. Most of all he wants controlled attempts at turnovers; so he coaches his players to go for the turnover INT only when they have help deep, to prevent a score the other way if they miss.

BB 's theory of Defense is to allow no big plays for the Offense. Make the Offense march the length of the field repeatedly executing plays. He believes that with his good but not necessarily great players, they can force a mistake. If they can't, the Offense may make an unforced mistake, bad throw, simple drop, et cetera, and kill a drive.

To do this BB wants defensive backs who can tackle and force against the run, since a running team can march the length of the field fairly reliably. BB wants reliable football players and would much rather have a guy who seldom makes a mistake to one who constantly gambles, unless it is a controlled gamble. OTIS was the example of a player who did not have the talent to be a starting CB,but made up for it by taking controlled gambles.

An example of a player who didn't take controlled gambles until his career was almost over and then accepted coaching was the Miami 's CB Tbuck...

 

[jeffd]

It's not so much about personell than it is about scheme. A Steelers 3-4 is high pressure, usually 4-5 guys rushing and corners in 1 on 1 coverage. BB has been quoted saying that he doesn't cover players, he covers the field which leads me to believe that he prefers zone guys. I'd describe a zone player as less physically gifted but smarter and a better tackler. Oddly enough they are harder to find but MUCH cheaper to sign.

 

[notex]

fair enough. I was trying to figure out what type of player the patriots might like at those positions and realized that DB is a DB.

I would imagine that BB likes hard working, hard tackling, and smart DB in his scheme. i guess the zone / man thing is what i was looking fore, what kind of DB play the pats look for, and whats important to them in running their defense.