Bengals 4-3 or 3-4?

[TeamBuilder]

I'll be playing a Franchise with the Bengals, and I'm debating between a 4-3 and 3-4 defense.

Notable Personnel

DE/LB- Michael Johnson (age 24)
86 speed, 92 acceleration, 86 agility, 85 finesse move, 82 block shedding, 71 strength

Great speed and finesse ratings, should be able to get to the quarterback no matter where he lines up.

DE/LB- Robert Geathers (age 27)
78 speed, 86 acceleration, 74 agility, 81 finesse move, 64 block shedding, 75 strength

He's a backup no matter what formation I use, I'm considering him as a 3-4 end as well as a 4-3 end.

DE/LB- Carlos Dunlap (age 22)
84 speed, 88 acceleration, 82 agility, 92 finesse move, 74 block shedding, 82 strength

Star rusher of the defense, he'll be dominant for years.

DT- Domata Peko (age 26)
62 speed, 79 acceleration, 63 agility, 87 power move, 88 block shedding, 90 strength

Either a 4-3 DT or a 3-4 NT, he'll be effective in either role

DT- Pat Sims (age 25)
66 speed, 84 acceleration, 66 agility, 85 power move, 82 block shedding, 91 strength

His speed is a little better than Peko's, giving him the edge as a 3-4 DE.

DT- Geno Atkins (age 23)
73 speed, 94 acceleration, 69 agility, 78 power move, 66 block shedding, 85 strength

Great speed for a DT, would shift to DE in a 3-4.

LB- Rey Maualuga (age 24)
80 speed, 89 acceleration, 79 agility, 80 power move, 86 block shedding, 90 tackle

Will stay in the middle in either scheme, will be able to blitz more with him in a 3-4.

LB- Keith Rivers (age 25)
87 speed, 91 acceleration, 87 agility, 74 finesse move, 85 block shedding, 87 tackle

Would shift to middle in a 3-4, where his sideline to sideline range would cover the field.

LB- Dontay Moch (age 23)
91 speed, 92 acceleration, 77 agility, 81 power move, 73 block shedding, 80 tackle

Backup pass rusher from the linebacker spot in either scheme.

LB- Thomas Howard (age 28)
87 speed, 83 acceleration, 84 agility, 80 tackle, 68 man coverage, 78 zone coverage

Excellent cover linebacker, one of the best in the league. Would have him play strong side on TE's in a 4-3, or middle zone coverage in a 3-4.

LB- Manny Lawson (age 27)
Ratings not yet released (49ers). Is normally very fast and has a higher finesse move rating.


4-3 Personnel

LE- Michael Johnson
RE- Carlos Dunlap / Robert Geathers (backup)
DT- Domata Peko
DT- Pat Sims / Geno Atkins (backup)

LOLB- Manny Lawson / Dontay Moch (backup)
MLB- Rey Maualuga
ROLB- Keith Rivers / Thomas Howard (backup)




3-4 Personnel

LE- Pat Sims
RE- Geno Atkins / Robert Geathers (backup)
NT- Domata Peko

LOLB- Michael Johnson / Manny Lawson (backup)
MLB- Keith Rivers
MLB- Rey Maualuga / Thomas Howard (backup)
ROLB- Carlos Dunlap / Dontay Moch (backup)


With the 3-4 I could get more creative with my blitzes, allowing Maualuga to blitz up the middle to take advantage of his pass rushing abilities. I wouldn't have to worry about depth, as the Bengals have some serious depth at linebacker.

What would you do?


Link to Bengals Player Ratings
http://espn.go.com/espn/thelife/vide...innati-bengals

[will12203]

they are a 4-3 team

http://boards.bengals.com/showthread.php?t=76893

[Xotros]

I'd run the 3-4 and stay competitive with the rest of the division.

[JR90RFC]

If you can sign/trade or draft a stud DT to line up next to Peko I'd go 4-3. It'll end up coming down to personal preference. I like 4-3/46 never ran a 3-4 with the Bengals on any Madden.

My initial front 7 (I like to rotate in various situations)

RE - C. Dunlap/D. Moch
DT - P. Sims/G. Atkins
DT - D. Peko/T. Johnson
LE - M. Johnson/R. Geathers

ROLB - K. Rivers/B. Johnson
MLB - R. Maualuga/R. Muckelroy
LOLB - M. Lawson/T. Howard

[MagicMan1315]

I just started using the 3-4 in NCAA and am loving the results with that.. (Leading the nation for 4 straight season in rush defense) so I will be using it in Madden this year.

I would say with the Bengals, Since you are in a run heavy division with the Steelers, Ravens, and Browns, I would go with the 3-4 as it is better at stopping the run. (I know the Steelers/Ravens arent as run heavy as they once were but to me, they still run quite a bit)

[TeamBuilder]

Quote: Originally Posted by JR90RFC

If you can sign/trade or draft a stud DT to line up next to Peko I'd go 4-3. It'll end up coming down to personal preference. I like 4-3/46 never ran a 3-4 with the Bengals on any Madden. My initial front 7 (I like to rotate in various situations) RE - C. Dunlap/D. Moch DT - P. Sims/G. Atkins DT - D. Peko/T. Johnson LE - M. Johnson/R. Geathers ROLB - K. Rivers/B. Johnson MLB - R. Maualuga/R. Muckelroy LOLB - M. Lawson/T. Howard

I agree it would be great to draft a stud DT... maybe even a nose that could play in a 3-4. That would allow me to slide Peko over to a 3-4 end, where I think he would be a better fit.