***The Nebraska Defense - Blackshirts 2020***

The LB room should be improved as better size and speed and depth (competition and packaging hopefully) combined with the addition of Dawson can fix a bunch.  Plenty of reasons for much better play in the back eight.  

 
Love this debate.  Guys who scream for a 4 front will face the same problem when confronted with being 2 high or 1 high with your safeties.  2 High and you are putting a ton of pressure on your LB and Safety to run fit and play coverage.  1 High and you stress out our DB to play zone coverage and give up underneath stuff all day, or man free and give up big plays.  Much harder to disguise pressures and coverages out of a 4 front too.  I really like Chins scheme.  I dont like what we have to run it.  It starts with our OLB and ILB.  DL does not have any true 34 DE types yet.  Secondary is starting to look right with so many guys that are flexible in the positions they play and can give you some different looks back there.  

When we go into gameplanning and we see a base 4 front team, you can strike up the band.  Would much rather plan to play a 4 front.  Easier to determine who the surface level read is going to be in the run game.  Easier to identify 2nd level reads in the option game.  Easier to identify the Mike and stick with our base blocking rules.  Simplifies things in pass protection too.  But hey, 34 defenses are terrible, unless you are one of the top defensive teams in the NFL or college football... Then it isn't.  

 
Does anyone out there know what the percentage of blitzes with 6 or more rushing we ran last year?

 
Listening to a brief discussion on Carriker Chronicles (Adam & J Sirles) on 4-3 vs 3-4, Sirles says he feels the 3-4 is tougher for the O line to make line calls and get blocking assignments right etc,

But, with good guards, run plays are pretty hard to stop in the 3/4 as O linemen get to attack LBs more often. 

I’m not as knowledgeable in Defense scheming but it does make sense.  My simplistic view is that if you go 3-4, you must have a super NT and a couple special DEs that are big and fast.  All three seem that much harder to recruit.  Either system requires LBs to stop the run of course but it seems to me your OLBs need to be undersized DEs that have to be able to handle some pass coverage and or blitz the QB from further away from the line of scrimmage.  The ILBs seem smaller based on the recruiting lately in the 3-4 (safety types).  

Its all about assignments and trying to confuse the offenses with who is playing where and doing what each snap.  

The 3-4 is more flexible and deceptive and unpredictable.  While the 4-3 is more “honest” , straightforward and man vs man physically.  
 

Theoretically then, the 3-4 tries to control the LOS with one less player leaving more cover and tackling players to get to the ball.  

The old 5-2 was in some ways a sort of blend of the two with the DEs/OLBs on the LOS or backing up depending on the offense formation, type, etc. 

Ultimately, it all comes down to talent and having the right guys in the most suitable positions.  If you have a great NT, and a couple undersized DTs, the 3-4 makes more sense. If you dont, you need a pair of real good DTs and 2 pass rush/rush stopper DEs. 

Somebody please correct me where Ive gone wrong.  As I say, I am no football X&O guy on defense certainly,  and even us old guys can still learn new tricks now and then.  lol.  

 
84HuskerLaw said:
The old 5-2 was in some ways a sort of blend of the two with the DEs/OLBs on the LOS or backing up depending on the offense formation, type, etc. 
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Yeah, a lot of '5-2' schemes are really just 3-4s where the OLBs line up on the LOS.

 
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84HuskerLaw said:
Theoretically then, the 3-4 tries to control the LOS with one less player leaving more cover and tackling players to get to the ball.  
Click to expand...


Fundamentally, this is incorrect.  As you went on to say, less directly than this, but the 3-4 is the 5-2.  I've heard Todd Bowles for example say the reason he prefers the 3-4 is because it gives him an extra player to control the LOS. 

The difference isn't the defense, it's how the defense aligns to the modern day offenses.  Vs 21 personnel for example, the 3-4 is the 5-2.

The real difference is between 1-gap and 2-gap & some teams employ a mixed front.   The 3-4 1-gap has become more & more popular.  Again, those coordinators prefer it because it plays like a 4-3 in terms of penetration, but gives you an extra guy to control the LOS.  In addition, many, if not most 3-4 defenses today, default to a 4-2 or even 4-1 look vs 5 man lines.  Even Saban & all his disciples.

The fundamental weakness of 2 gap, is play action pass imo, and that's why you see very few teams employing it today.  Chins D has fundamentally been a mix, where the NG plays 2 gap, and nobody else (technically).   Where as Saban base 3-4 plays 1-gap everywhere except the Strong Side DE.

 
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Hm.  Thanks for the help.  Gives me some things to delve into for a better understanding.  I will try to study more closely these points.  

 
floridacorn said:
Fundamentally, this is incorrect.  As you went on to say, less directly than this, but the 3-4 is the 5-2.  I've heard Todd Bowles for example say the reason he prefers the 3-4 is because it gives him an extra player to control the LOS. 

The difference isn't the defense, it's how the defense aligns to the modern day offenses.  Vs 21 personnel for example, the 3-4 is the 5-2.

The real difference is between 1-gap and 2-gap & some teams employ a mixed front.   The 3-4 1-gap has become more & more popular.  Again, those coordinators prefer it because it plays like a 4-3 in terms of penetration, but gives you an extra guy to control the LOS.  In addition, many, if not most 3-4 defenses today, default to a 4-2 or even 4-1 look vs 5 man lines.  Even Saban & all his disciples.

The fundamental weakness of 2 gap, is play action pass imo, and that's why you see very few teams employing it today.  Chins D has fundamentally been a mix, where the NG plays 2 gap, and nobody else (technically).   Where as Saban base 3-4 plays 1-gap everywhere except the Strong Side DE.
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Yep!  The amount of time teams in a 3-4 are actually "in" a 3-4 is low...

 


Glad to hear this.  I was a bit worried that he seemed to be quite a ways down the list.  Hopefully he's in the mix this year.

 
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