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The 3-4 is on the rise, making life complicated for offenses

Sporting News, The, Sept 30, 2005 by Troy Aikman

We're seeing more of the 3-4 defense than we have in years, with half a dozen teams using it as their base defense and at least three more using it quite a bit this season. I like the scheme, and it wouldn't surprise me to see its popularity grow even more.

The NFL is a copycat league, so the Patriots' Super Bowl run is reason enough for some teams to imitate their schemes. Successful teams and affiliations also tend to spawn new head coaches, who then take their coaching philosophies with them. All three of the league's new head coaches have instituted the 3-4--the 49ers' Mike Nolan, who ran the 3-4 in Baltimore, and former Bill Belichick assistants Romeo Crennel (Browns) and Nick Saban (Dolphins), though Miami is using it only about 30 percent of the time.

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It's a good scheme. Offensively, it's not particularly complicated to prepare for a 4-3 defense. In general, the pass rush comes from the four down linemen and a linebacker, making the blocking assignments pretty clear. Sure, there are zone blitzes and other variations, but nothing like you see with the 3-4.

In that scheme, you typically rush the three down linemen and two linebackers--but which ones? The outside guys? The inside guys? One of each? There are lots of combinations, and you can overload one side without really jeopardizing your coverage. The 3-4 has the potential to create great confusion for an offense, particularly the blockers and quarterback.

The 3-4 has its advantages come draft time, too. An athletic but undersized college end who might not fit the 4-3 mold--a player who can rush the passer and stuff the run at the line---could be a perfect fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker. In other words, it's easier to find a guy such as rookie DeMarcus Ware, a college end who plays outside linebacker in the Cowboys' 3-4, than it is to find a prototypical 4-3 end such as Carolina's Julius Peppers. Guys like him are rare.

Then again, there aren't a lot of Casey Hamptons out there. The 3-4 needs a nose tackle who, like the Steelers' Hampton, can occupy two blockers consistently. If a center can block your nose tackle by himself, your defense will have a tough time stopping the run. But as long as your nose tackle can clog the middle and allow the linebackers to fly around, the 3-4 can wreak havoc.

It's fun to watch, and you should get used to it. Like the West Coast offense, which became all the rage in the wake of the 49ers' success in the '80s, the 3-4 defense isn't going away.

The Troy Aikman show airs at 5 p.m. ET every Thursday through the Super Bowl on Sporting News Radio. Listen online at radio.sportingnews.com.

The 3-4 is on the rise, making life complicated for offenses

Sporting News, The, Sept 30, 2005 by Troy Aikman

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