The old cliche that defense wins championships is one that I tend to try and avoid as much as possible. The big reason being I really don't believe that's the case anymore. Flame away if you want, but nowadays I think the cliche should be "an offense that can control the clock coupled with a defense full of speed and sound fundamental play will win championships." So put me down as the originator of the quote if you want, but I really believe that if you want to win championships in your dynasty you have to do both of those things well.

However, for the sake of making things readable in terms of length, I'm just going to focus on the second part of that quote. I might get around to the offensive side in a later column, but the defensive side of the football is a side I really want to highlight.

First, the personnel you need to run this defense. My scheme hasn't changed much over the years, I want speed at every position minus DT. The faster the players the better, the smarter the players also the better. Also, I want guys who can tackle. That means you are looking for guys who have high ratings in speed, awareness and tackling.

I am also going to be running either a 4-3 or a nickel, depending on the down/distance and personell I have available. Here's a position by position breakdown:

Position by Position Breakdown

DE: I want these guys to be fast and I want them to tackle well. Awareness isn't the biggest factor, we don't want these guys out in the flats anyways. As long as these guys can collapse the pocket when the opponent is pasing and as long as they can control the line of scrimmage when your opponent is running, you are doing your job.
Primary Attributes: Speed, Tackling
Other Things to Look for:Strength

DT: Three words, big and strong. These guys need to be able to control the middle of the line. Speed isn't the biggest factor I'm looking for with these guys, it's the ability to keep linemen off of the linebackers and let them run free. For that, I want guys who can control the line of scrimmage and dominate the guys in front of them.
Primary Attributes: Size, Strength
Other Things to Look for: Great Tacklers and unusually fast big guys

OLB & MLB: For me, the linebacker positions are kind of interchangeable in what I'm looking for attribute wise. These guys are kind of the hardest to find in recruiting because I want guys who are smart, can run fast and who are great tacklers. If these guys can roam free I expect them to dominate the rushing attack of other teams and then I expect them to be adequate pass coverage guys.
Primary Attributes: Speed, Tackling, Smarts
Other Things to Look for: Some nice hands and some strength wouldn't hurt either, but who are we kidding?

CB: If you are a cornerback in my scheme you are expected to be able to run with anyone and cover them. Tackling is a necessity too, but I really don't want opponents to be able to pass over 7 of our players. Therefore, I want guys who are a fast and smart. Picking the ball off would be nice and is a preferred trait, but I'd take a sure tackler over a sure set of hands if the decision came up.
Primary Attributes: Speed, Awarenes
Other Things to Look For: Tackling then hands

Safeties: Simply put, the back edge of my defense needs guys who are bonafide linebackers in their approach except I want them to be able to cover guys as well. This means guys who can run, who can catch and who can cover but also guys who I can sneak up and let them play LBer some. So in reality I want guys with some above average size for safeties. Converting your smaller LBers to this position isn't a bad idea. Primary Attributes: Speed, Awarenes, Tackling
Other Things to Look for: The bigger the better without sacrificing the above three attributes

The Scheme

So what does it all mean? Basically the goal of the defensive line is to get pressure on the QB when he passes but also control the line of scrimmage. When there is a run play the line should hold their spot on the field and allow the smart and quick linebackers a chance to move up and make a play on the running back. If your Linebackers get blocked then there is going to be just one last level of defenders to stop the play, and that my friends is bad news.

Coverage wise, you want to be able to man up and run zones as well. Being able to mix it up is key to confusing the QB. Another thing I like to do with my speedy guys is blitz, especially on third down. If you blitz, be sure you have enough guys to cover the opponents offense. So if he's coming out in a 5 wide, don't blitz 4 guys...that's trouble. Use common sense here.

Another thing you want to do is make sure you stop your opponent on first down. 2nd and 10 and 3rd and 8 are a whole lot tougher to convert than 2nd and 3 and 3rd and 1. Again, common sense stuff but I feel it needs to be mentioned. Also, don't over pursue guys and stay at home. It's tempting to chase guys around the field but if you stay where you are at and let the other 10 guys do their jobs, things work out much better than trying to do all 11 with one guy.

That is a basic rundown of my defensive scheme and I plan to go into more detail at a later date, but this should be a good primer to get you started with your own defense. Good luck!