3-4 Flexibility on Defense

Because of the flexibility that the 3-4 defense offers and its ability to confuse offenses, more NFL teams are shifting to this scheme.

"You can do so many more things with a 3-4 defense than you can with a 4-3," says Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach JOHN MADDEN.

Newly acquired Cleveland Browns head coach ERIC MANGINI is well-versed on variations of the 3-4 package. He was involved in the system as an assistant in New England and as the head coach of the New York Jets. Mangini thinks the 3-4 defense is a growing trend around the NFL because of its versatility.

"I've been a part of the 3-4 for a significant amount of time," says Mangini. "You can argue the merits of a 4-3 and a 3-4 but the one thing I like about the 3-4 is that you can reduce defensive ends and form 4-3 concepts out of that base part. It's a balance and you have the ability to rush any of the four linebackers to create whatever front you want. You can move the defensive ends towards the nose and run different fronts. You aren't necessarily married to the concept of always adjusting the defensive line or always adjusting the secondary. There's a ton of flexibility and it has been very effective over time. Everybody has a different way to run it."

Green Bay Packers head coach MIKE MC CARTHY is definitely a supporter of the 3-4 scheme. This offseason, McCarthy hired defensive coordinator DOM CAPERS, who has dealt with the 3-4 system throughout his coaching career. McCarthy, who is a former offensive coordinator, has seen first-hand how the 3-4 can baffle NFL offenses.

"I'm a big believer in the 3-4 for a number of reasons," says McCarthy. "It's an excellent run defense and it creates a pass rush on the quarterback. From an offensive standpoint, it creates targeting problems just from your initial game-plan meeting, and it really cuts the menu of the offense probably in half of what you would normally do on a four-man front."

Packers linebacker A.J. HAWK, who aims to thrive in the team's new defense this season, says the unpredictability that the 3-4 shows offenses on every play was the selling point for him.

"Anytime you're in the 3-4, the biggest thing you can do is be unpredictable," says Hawk. "You can do many different things from many different looks. You can go and attack the offensive line. You get them before they get to you. The scheme lets us be aggressive."

Having the right personnel is also an important factor in properly executing the 3-4

Packers assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach WINSTON MOSS says a disruptive nose tackle is one of the most critical roles in the scheme.

"The most important part of this defense is the nose tackle," says Moss. "If you cannot get that nose tackle to command a double-team, you are in trouble. You can have the best personnel in the NFL, but if you are minus in that area right there from a personnel standpoint, this defense cannot work."

Two rookie head coaches in the AFC West -- TODD HALEY of Kansas City and JOSH MC DANIELS of Denver -- will take on versions of the 3-4 defense in some capacity in 2009 for their respective clubs.

"We're going to try variations of it," says Haley. "There are some variations that make it a little easier to transition into this thing. I knew right away it was going to be a process."

"You're going to see some 3-4 from us," says McDaniels. "I'm not going to say we're going to be all 3-4, but it's going to be some combination thereof. The challenge is finding the players who fit into it and play well in it. That's what we're after."

 

NFL Football 2009 | 3-4 Flexibility on Defense