Maybe we are looking at this 3-4 and 4-3 thing all wrong

[midwestpatsfan]

Bill Belichick is arguably one of the best x's and o's coaches of all time, fans from other teams would even have a hard time refuting that. I have read a few books that dealt with Belichicks coaching and it had been mentioned that while he was an assistant all those years back, that it was he who really brought the 3-4 defense to what it is today. With the success of the 3-4 defense in recent years, other nfl teams are starting to run it, in fact the amount of teams has increased to about 1/3 of the teams in the NFL.

Could there be a case for Belichick trying to configure a whole new wrinkle into how to play defense. I am not saying that it will be this completely new defense all together, but whats to say that there are not some wrinkles in both the 3-4 and the 4-3 that have yet to be explored. Most people will argue that D-lineman are the hardest position to find quality players at. With what seems to be a stockpile of high round talent at the position, maybe BB has something new in mind.

I am not as football smart as many of you, but what I have learned while watching this BB run team is that you should never pigeon whole them into one thing or another. I have a feeling we could be sitting here next fall talking about what that type of defense is.

I also think that the offense could be going through a similar transition, look to see the TE and Fullback really take on a whole new role.

Just a thought.

 

[Flying Fungi]

the hardest thing for people to wrap there heads around appears to be that the Patriots aren't a 3-4 or a 4-3 team. They are a Belichick Zone team (for lack of a better description). There may be some base formations, but calling it a 3-4 or a 4-3 doesn't make it so.

So...you are correct...but it isn't anything new...and it has been discussed at great lengths...

 

[fgssand]

the hardest thing for people to wrap there heads around appears to be that the Patriots aren't a 3-4 or a 4-3 team. They are a Belichick Zone team (for lack of a better description). There may be some base formations, but calling it a 3-4 or a 4-3 doesn't make it so.

So...you are correct...but it isn't anything new...and it has been discussed at great lengths...

That is very true. I guess this debate is really meaningless, we can call our base "D" 3-4 or 4-3 but it is indeed meaningless. This team will change up on the fly, play after play, series after series, quarter after quarter to whichever defense makes sense at a given moment. The genius that is BB is the ability to draft smart, talented players that will understand and grasp the system and handle their responsibilities. Do thier jobs is all BB ever asks. His schemes and systems take it from there.

 

[Pats726]

What is interesting is the team may be able to use more 4-3 with Sullivan...which is OK..they could keep Sey and Warren as DEs...I think it is ALL good..

 

[PYPER]

the hardest thing for people to wrap there heads around appears to be that the Patriots aren't a 3-4 or a 4-3 team. They are a Belichick Zone team (for lack of a better description). There may be some base formations, but calling it a 3-4 or a 4-3 doesn't make it so.

So...you are correct...but it isn't anything new...and it has been discussed at great lengths...

Absolutely!!!

I like the terms "Belichick Flex" and "flexiBILL" to describe our defense. As long as Belichick has his fingers and some sand on the ground to play with, there's no telling what kind of alignments we'll come out in.

It's an interesting trade. I wonder if it says anything about BB's thoughts of the late round Dlinemen we drafted though. I wonder if they know they're about to suffer some sort of mysterious injury in their sleep and when they wake up they'll be on IR.