Diaco's 3-4 Traces Back to Al Groh

Mavric

Mavric

Yoda
Staff member
Diaco talks about his scheme being rooted in “block destruction” at the line of scrimmage. Groh calls the scheme a “beat the blocks” defense and likens it to the center of a boxing ring.

Virginia’s coach from 2001 to 2009 talks about the inside linebackers in his 3-4 needing to be “physical, downhill” players. Nebraska linebackers coach Trent Bray preaches the same thing daily in practice — “forward, forward, forward.”

“They’ve got to be downhill players,” Bray said. “They’ve got to be solid and tough against the run. That’s No. 1.”

And while any defense can be effective, Groh believes in the 3-4 because of its versatility, flexibility and, at least in college, how it can throw off offensive linemen who aren’t used to it. Nebraska’s offensive linemen can attest after struggling against the 3-4 scheme run by Wisconsin and even Purdue for several years.
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OWH

 
Groh’s 3-4 scheme is more of a two-gap system, he said, similar to the one used by Parcells, Belichick and Saban, who worked under Belichick when the latter was coach of the Browns. The two-gap moniker essentially means that defensive linemen, like a nose tackle, are responsible for minding two run gaps, or the gap on either side of their blocker, instead of shooting into one gap. The one-gap 3-4, which Groh said is used by many NFL defensive coordinators, including Wade Phillips — is much more aggressive.

In a 3-4, since the three down linemen are sometimes — not always — across from an offensive lineman, the two-gap approach is common. That doesn’t mean it’s easy.

“It’s a real physical style of play,” said Groh, who serves as a radio analyst for Westwood One Sports. “There’s no running away, there’s no rope-a-dope when you’re playing a two-gap.”
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A 2-gap? Oh no, they're not going to be attacking?? The horror
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