Is it inherently superior by design? And also do you think some teams change styles to match the incoming talent? Just wondering cause back in the 80's, there were a lot of teams running the 3-4 and usually those teams were very successful. Then the league went away from that to a 4-3 for a very long time. A very few teams ran the 3-4 until recently where the trend is going to a 3-4. Could it be because of the new style of offense being played in the NFL? Just wondered if anyone had any thoughts about this?
As I understand it, there's a few reasons to switch. Each group (3-4 & 4-3) is looking for a specific body type. Players that tend to be in the DE/OLB category, tend to be better physically suited towards one vs the other. So as one type becomes common over the other, there's a greater demand for a certain type of player. The best example I can think of to illustrate this is James Harrison of the Steelers. He went undrafted in 2002 in part because there were very few 3-4 teams at the time, and he didn't fit in as a 4-3 DE. So at that point, the few 3-4 teams were getting home runs in the late rounds of the draft since most teams couldn't utilize the James Harrisons of the world. I tend to think that the 3-4 is stronger against the run. They typically use bigger players (the average weight of a 3-4 team would be more than a 4-3 team). On the other end, they suffer from poorer pass coverage, since 4-3 LBs are typically 10-20 lbs lighter and thus faster.
I think a big part of it is trying to confuse the quarterback more by disguising where the pressure is coming from each play, its more versatile, just tougher to execute well IMO
3-4 is better for an exotic blitz scheme. 4-3 is a better 4 man rush scheme. It can be very hard to pressure the QB in a 3-4 with a 4 man rush. In a 4 man rush in a 3-4, one your two best pass rushers is in coverage Sent from my HTC Vivid
so I guess the ones who do run the 3-4 are successful with their defenses because the talent pool isn't diluted as it would be if more teams ran it and therefore would be drafting more of the 3-4 type players. It was said that the 3-4 is better suited to stop the run. Is it because of scheme? If so I hope it certainly helps in our case. I just wonder how much of an impact it will have the first year under Ryan. I know our defense as a whole pretty much sucks for the lack of talent but wondering if just the act of moving to a 3-4 will help with the run stopping part. If the 3-4 defense is typically weak against the pass then our corners should fit right in then.
So if the 3-4 is best suited to stop the run, do you think the teams that employ that defense should be able to stop the spread offense that is starting to show up in the game?
idk but im interested to see what happens with the eagles since its there first year going with a 3-4
Good point with the talent pool, now a bunch if teams will be looking for more 34 personnel this year. Too bad I don't control the Browns or I'd probably have them stick 43 and draft Ansah at the other end.
In addition to all the explanations given, I'd like to point out that nobody actually runs a 34 or a 43 exclusively. It might be considered a "base" defense but I'd feel safe wagering that most 34 teams are in some other alignment more often than they are in an actual 34, especially with the pass-heavy approach that is en vogue these days...so much nickel and dime...so much.
I have actually been wondering this same thing especially when I heard a stat that the 49ers are only in a 3-4 40% of the time.
I think 34 vs 43 really comes down to what kind of players you value in a defensive scheme, rather than looking at it like a single defensive formation. Whether 34 or 43, all those players will be playing in both formations, as well as many others, at some point in the game. I think "34" personnel teams tend to be more scheme diverse, especially those like Wades and the current Niners with "smaller" more athletic lineman that can play inside and out situation dependent, rather than huge maulers that just take up space and come out on passing downs.
