marck Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 In response to one of the posted items on the board stating the Bills personnel fits a 3-4 defensive scheme, I wanted to explain the concept of how this style of defense is staffed. In the base 3-4, you need two anchor defensive ends. These are the players that are the "smaller DT's" in the 280 to 295 lb mode. A team to use as an example is San Diego who uses Luis Castillo and Igor Olshansky to man those spots. Then you need a bulky 2-gap defensive lineman such as a Jamal Williams. In addition you would need explosive LB's who can rush the passer. This is where players such as Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsey could work. They would be outside linebackers in a 3-4 scheme. Then you would have Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher inside. If the Bills were to reconfigure in a 3-4, you would need a player such as Haloti Ngata at DT, then go after "quck" defensive tackles who have some heft against the run. No one on the Bills present roster fits this profile, and you would have to scour the free agent pool for this type of player. I think if you have the personnel, this is a great scheme as it provide for great run coverage and brings many posssible options to attacking the QB. But, just to caution readers on the site, it would take two to three years to build up the personnel to fit the scheme and by that time the effective top-level performance skills of players such as Fletcher, Spikes and Schobel would be on the significant downside of their careers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan Trapped in Pats Land Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Well said. I am a fan of tailoring your scheme to fit your personell, not the other way around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I agree with you completely. We currently don't have the players to utilize a 3-4 defense. That said, coming off a 5-11 season and needing to almost completely rebuild both lines, I see no reason not to give a switch to a 3-4 some serious consideration. Its not like we have the personnel to run a 4-3 effectively, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Lack of peronnel hasn't stopped us before. When GW got here, he dumped our top-rated 3-4 in favor of a 4-3--even though we didn't have the players for it. It's taken several years for us to be a decent 4-3. I'd hate for the new staff to come in and repeat history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobillsinytown Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I think the biggest challenge with the base 3-4 is that the nose tackle is being asked to consistently tie up at least two offensive linemen on every play, aka "two gap". Then, the linebackers shoot the gaps that are left. The problem is that there are very few D linemen in the NFL who can consistently play the nose. Offensive linemen are just too fast now. That's why very few teams use the 3-4 or even the 4-3 in it's pure form. They may say they're 3-4 or 4-3, but that's really only in theory. In truth, defensive coordinators are shifting their players so much and blitzing so many different players, what the base defense is has almost become irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puppet Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Just a question - could any of our DTs play end in a 3-4? Or would they be too slow? I'm thinking Bannan, Sape, and Anderson. All have good size and some quickness. None of them are great at DTs - but maybe they would work on a 3-4 as ends. You've also got Denny who is pretty big and good against the run. Shobel could stand up at "linebacker" like Jason Taylor has done this year. It would be nice if we could run 3-4 and 4-3 like the pats seem to be able to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Just a question - could any of our DTs play end in a 3-4? Or would they be too slow? I'm thinking Bannan, Sape, and Anderson. All have good size and some quickness. None of them are great at DTs - but maybe they would work on a 3-4 as ends. You've also got Denny who is pretty big and good against the run. Shobel could stand up at "linebacker" like Jason Taylor has done this year. It would be nice if we could run 3-4 and 4-3 like the pats seem to be able to do. 569611[/snapback] Ron Edwards could probably play a DE position in a 3-4, IF he could stay on the field. I believe he was projected as a possible 3-4 end coming out of the 2001 draft. I also agree that Ryan Denney might be able to handle it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Gee, Bruce Smith did his best work when he weighed around 265, and Phil Hansen at 273. Good thing we never tried that fancy 3-4 when THEY were here. Probably just a gimick anyway. It'd never work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan Trapped in Pats Land Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Gee, Bruce Smith did his best work when he weighed around 265, and Phil Hansen at 273.Good thing we never tried that fancy 3-4 when THEY were here. Probably just a gimick anyway. It'd never work. 569632[/snapback] Except O lineman were 25 lbs lighter back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffOrange Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Agreed, people want to run a 3-4? With what? Our DE's are undersized for the 4-3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Defensive Ends I'm thinking some of these dudes might be a teensy-weensy bit effective running a 3-4 some of the time. Maybe not, but then again... Julius Peppers 283 John Abraham 258 Simeon Rice 268 Osi Umenyiora 280 Jevon Kearse 265 Michael Strahan 275 Jason Taylor 255 Grant Wistrom 272 Terrell Suggs 255 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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