Ok ... time for class!

It's that frustrating time of year when nothing much is happening to talk about in football. How about some of you who know a whooooolle lot more about the sport than some of us who love it but are new to it, or have never played it, help us out?

How about outlining some plays? Tell us the difference between the 3-4 and the 4-3 defense. Explain the talents that might be needed by this position that aren't necessarily needed by that position and why.

Show us what you know!! And we'll benefit from the sharing.

 

Completely different personnel between the 3-4 and 4-3. Moving from one to another is often the most catastrophic move a coaching change can make, since the defenses generally differ greatly.

Without getting into variations, the alignments and personnel have different roles and responsibilities - they each look to make the same things happen overall, but each have different ways of doing it.


The 3-4 puts the big men on each of the three critical line spots - guys on each tackle and one on the center. The four linebackers give more speed and flexibility. Two inside linebackers give a solid pursuit, and the two outside linebackers have grown into a pass-rushing role and "contain" run support - hold the end of formation, force the play inside, not unlike the 4-3 end.

The OLB in this case is usually more of what they call a "tweener" - between an end and an OLB, and sometimes the 3 interior linemen can fit that bill as well (between an end and a tackle). 3-4 personnel is more variable based on skill, where the more prototype 4-3 guys just find their fit.

This D found a lot of resurgence in the 90s with the Pittsburgh style zone blitz (bringing linebackers to rush the passer, dropping linemen into coverage), and is still a viable defense, but isn't the gimmick it was. A number of teams now employ it as






The 4-3 is an "even front" - the center is uncovered, the tackles are on guards, and the ends sit outside the tackles. Once thought of as more of a pass-rushing alignment (four man fronts are still standard with most teams in nickel fronts for obvious passing downs), it's grown back into a standard defense that can suit any need. The two tackles are generally bigger, average 300 lb guys, the ends need to be faster and lighter in most cases (255-275 generally).
The inside linebacker has evolved from a huge run stopper of the past into a much more versatile player, but generally, this player is often the run stopper. The ends are athletic, have range and coverage ability. The lighter guy usually goes to the weakside spot (away from the TE is "weak", toward is "strong"), but many teams nowadays don't put as big a guy on the strongside (some use a lighter MLB and the strongside is situational for the run).




The 4-3 varies a bit more. The 4-3 we see now is technically a 'double eagle' call - the original front of the 4-3 came from a 6-1 alignment where one linebacker sat in the middle behind 6 linemen, so the two OLB in the 4-3 originally still sat outside the ends. Eagle calls brought one LB inside the end, kicking the end out, and eventually the defenses just grew toward that alignment.

You can use 3-4 principles - the championship Ravens' D used the two gap principles and had big ends, too - they clogged the middle, and still got a lot of pressure in part because of superior personnel.

You can use it without going two-gap with both tackles - the Bucs' D that won a championship relied on a nose tackle/under tackle alignment. You have a NT on one shoulder of the center, and you put the other, smaller tackle on the outside shoulder of the guard. The NT occupies the center, and lets the other linemen penetrate.

Some teams also use multiple-front defenses - New England has recently, and the SF/Philly teams of the early 90s did. They have standard personnel that fit into either role, and switch out a player or two to situationally fit.


That's a lot of un-organized, cluttered info, but keep the questions coming and I'm sure there will be someone around who can be more concise.

 

Memorize this and all links until there are no more, then we'll be ready to start.

Click Here





Okay I'm only kidding, but you should watch this



http://youtube.com/watch?v=cWa1_P65qZ8
It's a long long time til camp opens.

 

Mags ... that is exactly what I had in mind! Thank you for jumping in with that lesson. I will have many questions, but my first one is what skills are needed in the defensive lineman position vs the linebacker? I get the impression that the linemen are huge and slow where the linebackers are smaller (comparatively speaking) and quick. Am I right? I am also curious about how they go about planning defensive strategies. Do they look at film and plan plays to counteract the other team's offensive plays?

Mongo ... Lol. I was a bit insulted when I first clicked on the link because, of course, the first part is very elementary, but as I dug deeper into it, I found a lot that will help me and maybe others, so thank you! The glossary alone is a gem!

Can't get the video to load for some reason. Maybe later.

 

line play, whether end or tackle, 3-4 or 4-3, starts with contact on the offensive lineman. You're immediately trying to fight off the block, disengage, and read the play.

Linebackers have it somewhat the opposite. They're reading, diagnosing, and then they meet/disengage from the block. Of course, some LBs run around blocks. Either way, they're using that space (being lined up a few yards back) to their advantage, getting a little acceleration for contact, getting that view to adjust to the play in progress, and so on.

either way, OL want their hands on you - moving you, driving you, controlling you, even turning you. DL, unless they're bull rushing, want to keep linemen's hands off them and try to break that hold.

3-4 OLB and 4-3 ends have generally the same responsibilities most plays - "contain", force the blocker back, hold ground and force inside if it's a run play, outside contain and rush if it's a pass (in each contain ideal, you're trying to keep the runner, or passer, from getting outside formation on you).

yep. They have alignments that they can call, blitzes they can call as well, and certainly coverages in the back four, that will change the success of a given play.

more than that, most plays will be about the defenders making the same read, and reacting in their expected ways to diagnose a play and stop it. For instance, in HS I used to play against a team that would run a toss sweep - the RB just starts heading toward the corner and the QB tosses the ball out to him while he's got his speed. Their OT on that side would take a bigger split (distance between he and the guard). Immediately telegraphed it, because if that's not read, the OT takes on the OLB (this was our 3-4, technically a 5-2, but for these purposes, a 3-4), and the DE isn't really fast enough to get out there. Regardless of which way the OLB is blocked - in or out - the RB can cut the other way and be gone.

So instead of playing the gap, the responsibility given, you read that pre-snap, and start heading out to where the RB will be, and either tackle him or force him back toward where teammates are. Not so much a called play (though you could blitz an ILB in that gap and stop it as easily), but a reaction that tape study and work in practice from the coaches teaches you about the opposing team.

 

Just flexing the smart-ass muscle.

 

I pulled mine once. That sucked.

 

Ok. Great stuff ... thanks!

This leads me to ask about audibles. I assume they are called primarily when the defensive lineup turns out to be one that would more easily stop the call the offense had planned? And ... if an audible is called, does the defense have the chance to change it's lineup or is it an offensive weapon that is used at the last minute?

Also ... secondary. Will someone explain the difference between strong safety and free safety? Several times I have read where posters feel that this or that player would be better at one or the other positions. Why? What strengths are needed at what positions?

Oh yes. <grin> I'm full of questions!

 

Usually the strong safety is expected to play the run lining up 'in the box' nearer to the linebackers. being closer helps the strong safety make plays against the run. talent wise the strong safety is usually slower, bigger, and not as skilled in coverage, and a decent open field tackler. The free safety will line up deep and is expected to help in coverage on passes. being deeper has the opposite affect on runs but increases his chances to stop the pass. A free safety is usually faster, smaller and better in coverage. A good example in the NFL is the pats who have harrison to play the run (which he is very good at) and Artrell Hawkins/Eugene Wilson (both of whom are converted corners).

 

You are correct about the use of audibles. The coaches send the play call to the QB who has speakers in his helmet. The QB will call the play in the huddle, and the offense lines up. If the QB sees something about the defense that he thinks will diminish the success of the play, he can audible to a play that might have more success. Sometimes a QB will audible to exploit a situation. Let's say a defense lines up someone slow or inexperienced on our best/fastest player. The QB might call a different play (audible) to expolit that situation.

And it is like a chess game. Once the offense calls an audible and players start shifting around, the defense changes its call and audibles as well. Defensive players then start shifting around to counter what the offense is doing.

Safeties have different responsibilities depending on the scheme, but for the most part, strong safeties (as the name implies) are bigger and stronger and free safeties are smaller and faster.

Strong safeties are often "walked" close to the line of scrimmage to give the defense an extra player close to the ball to help stop running plays. Since they play closer to the action, they need to be bigger and sure tacklers. Free safeties play deeper and are primarily there to stop the pass. Think of a free safety as a baseball centerfielder. He sits back, reads the QB, and tries to be where the ball is going to either defend the pass or intercept it.