azdad1978
Championship!!!!
New math: 3-4 is in again in the NFL
Phil Barber
Rob Ryan has taken a lot from the Patriots — work ethic, a basic defensive philosophy ... and Ted Washington.
Ryan, the son of infamously feisty defensive guru Buddy Ryan and the Raiders' new defensive coordinator, probably knew more X's and O's as a teen than some assistant coaches ever absorb. But having helped the Patriots to two Super Bowl titles in the last three years as outside linebackers coach, Ryan's vision of a defensive scheme has undergone a transformation. He is now an affirmed practitioner of the 3-4 alignment fielded by Patriots coach Bill Belichick and coordinator Romeo Crennel — or an adaptation thereof.
Ryan knows the 3-4 begins with an immovable nose tackle. So one of his first acts as the Raiders' coordinator, a job he accepted in February, was to lobby the Raiders' brass to sign Washington, who had just dominated Carolina's interior blockers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Ryan got his man, and the Raiders have the makings of a new defensive system. They're not alone.
As recently as 2001, Pittsburgh was the only team that used the 3-4 as its base defense, and New England was the only other team that made some use of it. In 2004, the Steelers, Texans and Ravens are being joined by the Chargers as entrenched 3-4 teams, and the Patriots, Raiders, 49ers, Jets, Cowboys and Giants plan to mix it in with the 4-3.
There are plenty of reasons to like the 3-4. An extra linebacker means an additional defender who is on his feet, with a clear line of vision. It also gives the defense more options for zone blitzing, with four wild-card rushers as opposed to three, and better ability to drop eight players in coverage against multi-receiver sets.
Three and four are two of New England coach Bill Belichick's favorite numbers.
Associated Press
"With seven defenders (in coverage), the receivers will hit the seams too much," says coordinator Wade Phillips, a longtime proponent of the 3-4 who is installing it in San Diego. "You have to take that away, and obviously that's easier to do with a three-man line."
Perhaps more important, the league has an abundance of young, athletic pass rushers in the 230- to 260-pound range who excelled as standup ends in college.
"It's easier to find a 250-pound gifted athlete than a 350-pound gifted athlete," says Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau. "A guy who doesn't quite fit in the 4-3 might be at home in the 3-4."
The Steelers have practically franchised the rush linebacker position, with a line of players that has included Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Greg Lloyd, Jason Gildon and Joey Porter. The 49ers are hoping to get similar results from players such as Julian Peterson and Andre Carter. The same can be said of the Raiders' Travian Smith and the Jets' John Abraham.
Of course, the main reason the 3-4 is infiltrating the league is simple: The Patriots employ it — and the Patriots have been winning Super Bowls.
"There has been a general trend in the NFL throughout history to reinforce success," LeBeau says. "The team carrying the championship trophy gets people looking closely at its scheme."
Once the league's dominant defense, the 3-4 is making a comeback after almost becoming extinct. In 1974, the Patriots and Oilers used it as their base defense, and it began to spread through the league. By the end of the '80s, every team except the Cowboys, Bears and Redskins had used the 3-4, at least for a while.
What distinguishes this era is the move toward multiple looks, alternating 3-4 and 4-3 looks. Ryan insists the Raiders will be "multiple," as the Patriots have been, and as the Jets, 49ers, Cowboys and Giants likely will be.
Obviously, running variations of both packages requires greater mental commitment. But it also gives offenses more to digest and prepare for — and adds to the confusion.
"Once people keep blocking the same thing over and over," Ryan says, "they learn to stop it pretty well."
But Dan Henning, offensive coordinator for the Panthers, cautions against looking at the 3-4 as a fast-acting remedy for bad defense.
"Romeo (Crennel) is a superb two-gap teacher," Henning says. "Everyone doesn't have his 23 years of experience teaching the system. Just because you line up in a defense doesn't mean you're going to be successful."
On the other hand, if you rank 30th in total defense, as the Raiders did last season, it's probably time for drastic measures.
Phil Barber
Rob Ryan has taken a lot from the Patriots — work ethic, a basic defensive philosophy ... and Ted Washington.
Ryan, the son of infamously feisty defensive guru Buddy Ryan and the Raiders' new defensive coordinator, probably knew more X's and O's as a teen than some assistant coaches ever absorb. But having helped the Patriots to two Super Bowl titles in the last three years as outside linebackers coach, Ryan's vision of a defensive scheme has undergone a transformation. He is now an affirmed practitioner of the 3-4 alignment fielded by Patriots coach Bill Belichick and coordinator Romeo Crennel — or an adaptation thereof.
Ryan knows the 3-4 begins with an immovable nose tackle. So one of his first acts as the Raiders' coordinator, a job he accepted in February, was to lobby the Raiders' brass to sign Washington, who had just dominated Carolina's interior blockers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Ryan got his man, and the Raiders have the makings of a new defensive system. They're not alone.
As recently as 2001, Pittsburgh was the only team that used the 3-4 as its base defense, and New England was the only other team that made some use of it. In 2004, the Steelers, Texans and Ravens are being joined by the Chargers as entrenched 3-4 teams, and the Patriots, Raiders, 49ers, Jets, Cowboys and Giants plan to mix it in with the 4-3.
There are plenty of reasons to like the 3-4. An extra linebacker means an additional defender who is on his feet, with a clear line of vision. It also gives the defense more options for zone blitzing, with four wild-card rushers as opposed to three, and better ability to drop eight players in coverage against multi-receiver sets.
Three and four are two of New England coach Bill Belichick's favorite numbers.
Associated Press
"With seven defenders (in coverage), the receivers will hit the seams too much," says coordinator Wade Phillips, a longtime proponent of the 3-4 who is installing it in San Diego. "You have to take that away, and obviously that's easier to do with a three-man line."
Perhaps more important, the league has an abundance of young, athletic pass rushers in the 230- to 260-pound range who excelled as standup ends in college.
"It's easier to find a 250-pound gifted athlete than a 350-pound gifted athlete," says Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau. "A guy who doesn't quite fit in the 4-3 might be at home in the 3-4."
The Steelers have practically franchised the rush linebacker position, with a line of players that has included Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Greg Lloyd, Jason Gildon and Joey Porter. The 49ers are hoping to get similar results from players such as Julian Peterson and Andre Carter. The same can be said of the Raiders' Travian Smith and the Jets' John Abraham.
Of course, the main reason the 3-4 is infiltrating the league is simple: The Patriots employ it — and the Patriots have been winning Super Bowls.
"There has been a general trend in the NFL throughout history to reinforce success," LeBeau says. "The team carrying the championship trophy gets people looking closely at its scheme."
Once the league's dominant defense, the 3-4 is making a comeback after almost becoming extinct. In 1974, the Patriots and Oilers used it as their base defense, and it began to spread through the league. By the end of the '80s, every team except the Cowboys, Bears and Redskins had used the 3-4, at least for a while.
What distinguishes this era is the move toward multiple looks, alternating 3-4 and 4-3 looks. Ryan insists the Raiders will be "multiple," as the Patriots have been, and as the Jets, 49ers, Cowboys and Giants likely will be.
Obviously, running variations of both packages requires greater mental commitment. But it also gives offenses more to digest and prepare for — and adds to the confusion.
"Once people keep blocking the same thing over and over," Ryan says, "they learn to stop it pretty well."
But Dan Henning, offensive coordinator for the Panthers, cautions against looking at the 3-4 as a fast-acting remedy for bad defense.
"Romeo (Crennel) is a superb two-gap teacher," Henning says. "Everyone doesn't have his 23 years of experience teaching the system. Just because you line up in a defense doesn't mean you're going to be successful."
On the other hand, if you rank 30th in total defense, as the Raiders did last season, it's probably time for drastic measures.
