Will this year push even more teams to the 3-4? (1 Viewer)

[smackdaddies]

Pittsburgh and Green Bay finished with No. 2 and No. 5 defensive rankings respectively during the regular season. The other 3-4 units – San Diego (No. 1) and the Jets (No. 3) – also had top-five rankings.

It is also the first Super Bowl in nearly three decades matching the two stingiest scoring defenses. The Steelers allowed an average of 14.5 points in the regular season. The Packers allowed 15.

With this level of success, how many teams (or how many owners will insist) that they go to the 3-4?

Is there enough talent for more teams to go to the 3-4?

 

[fruity pebbles]

Probably. But it goes in cycles. More teams will be looking for 3-4 guys in the draft and the 4-3 teams will get their guys on the cheap.

 

[Ilov80s]

Probably. But it goes in cycles. More teams will be looking for 3-4 guys in the draft and the 4-3 teams will get their guys on the cheap.

Yep, it seems like a great time to be drafting 4-3 LBs. The only LBs with any draft hype seem to be 3-4 pass rush specialists in the mold of Clay Matthews or Lamar Woodley.

 

[Jene Bramel]

The Tennessee situation and scheme is somewhat up in the air, but there won't be any significant movement toward the 3-4 this offseason. The Browns are probably moving toward a 4-3 and the Texans changing to a 3-4, but the net number of teams in the 3-4 isn't likely to change. Fourteen teams were primarily 3-4 fronts last year, a couple of others (BAL and NO) were hybrid enough that they used lots of 3-4 on base downs, too.

The larger point is valid, though. There are enough coaches who are strong and successful with their aggressive 4-3 fronts that I doubt we'll see a return to the days where nearly every team ran a 3-4, but I think there's still room for a heavier tilt toward the 3-4. The "planet theory" fruity pebbles notes -- that there are limited numbers of talented players for any given scheme -- definitely applies, but the current versions of the 3-4 are more athletic than big. That should keep the player pool deep enough for the league to flow toward the 3-4 if the tide continues in that direction.

 

[Skeletore Eh]

Pittsburgh and Green Bay finished with No. 2 and No. 5 defensive rankings respectively during the regular season. The other 3-4 units – San Diego (No. 1) and the Jets (No. 3) – also had top-five rankings.

It is also the first Super Bowl in nearly three decades matching the two stingiest scoring defenses. The Steelers allowed an average of 14.5 points in the regular season. The Packers allowed 15.

With this level of success, how many teams (or how many owners will insist) that they go to the 3-4?

Is there enough talent for more teams to go to the 3-4?

Although I agree with your point, I doubt any teams will convert this offseason because of the labor dispute. Without a normal offseason to implement a totally new scheme, I don't see teams having the time to make the change. After watching many of the best defenses in the league (Jets, Steelers, Packers, Ravens) all run the 3-4, it is hard to argue that it is the more effective scheme right now.

 

[delusional]

Probably. But it goes in cycles. More teams will be looking for 3-4 guys in the draft and the 4-3 teams will get their guys on the cheap.

So this is what Andy Reid has been planning the past few years

 

[Buffaloes]

A lack of outstanding nose tackles necessary for the 3-4 probably keeps most teams from running a successful 3-4. Some teams have tried making the switch only to struggle without a true, dominant NT and move back toward a 4-3 base. I don't think there are enough quality 3-4 players to go around for even half the league to run a true 3-4. But with some teams running so many nickel schemes, the 'base' defense might not be as huge a huge deal moving forward.

Hybridization could be on the rise, though. Teams could run a mix of even and odd fronts to take advantage of certain down/distance situations and put certain players in a better position to make plays. Additionally, mixing in 2-dlineman fronts, big nickel, or 3-3 specialized defensive lineups could be on the rise as teams try to confuse and combat sophisticated offenses. Teams like the Packers, Jets and Ravens have had a lot of success with unorthodox defensive alignments that have confused offenses and created mismatches in the pass rush.

 

[RBM]

SD had the #1 defense this year? That is shocking

 

[Fensalk]

SD had the #1 defense this year? That is shocking

They were #1 on one measurement. When it comes to creating turnovers, they were almost at the bottom of the league in fumbles and only average in interceptions. They lost the turnover battle a lot as a result. Their special teams were the worst the NFL as well I believe.The Chargers were #1 in defense in terms of yards, but they were 10th in points allowed because of some special teams breakdowns etc. The Steelers were the #2 defense in terms of yards but #1 in points allowed.