Playing the 3-4 and 4-3 ,, HELP !!!!

[pk556]

I really would like to hear everyones opinion on playing the 3-4 and 4-3 defense's . I know this has been talked about before but I would like to go over it again , lol . Right now with my team in my dynasty I my best D players are my LB's , so a 3-4 would be best for me now. Stopping the run is my biggest problem . Also, There is one guy in my dynasty who comes out in 4 wide with the QB under center and kills me running the ball .

[bear05dog]

These are the basic shools of thought on 3-4 or 4-3 aka BASE defenses.

The 3-4 offers more mobility and speed on the field. Use this to your advantage to blitz people from all over. i generally only like to zone blitz with only 2 CB's on the field unless my opponent only has two WR and even then man blitzing is still scary to me for the thought i dont want to commit to one side and give up the big run if my blitz misses. You will notice there are more blitzing schemes out of the 3-4 than the 4-3.

The 4-3 is more of an assignment based Defense that is intended for the more conservative player. The idea is that everyone has a job to do so you dont want someone out of position by blitzing too much. The goal is to slowly let your opponent walk you down the field until he makes a mistake and now you have him in a 3rd and long situation. this is generally where i like to be a little unpredictable and go ahead and blitz to put a rush on his pass (throws off his timing) go ahead and jam his recievers too. the goal is to make him punt. side note: many people like to still play the 3rd and long situation conservatively as well which is also a good strategy. really just a matter of taste.

so in summary:

3-4 lots of zone blitzes. more freedom in playcalling. looking for the Big Defensive play I.E. sacks, tackles for loss, forcing a pick, run the risk of giving up the big play.
4-3 conservative, a lot of cover 2 (tampa 2), a little cover 3, and alot of cover 6 mixed in very sparingly with a zone blitz or two.

[BHavenBlazer]

zone blitz or play straight up zone coverage from the 3-4. If you man blitz, make sure you DE contain or else the back will have free release to bounce outside. I'm gonna give you my secret when it comes to online dynasties and linebackers. Recruit SS that have high block shedding. Position change them to OLB's. You'll even notice on some that they are higher overall as a lb than a safety. This way, when your opponent comes out in a 4 wr ace formation, you can stay in your 3-4 and still somewhat trust your linebackers for coverage.

[pk556]

Great info guys , anyone else like to share their thoughts ? I have a question about turning your zone D to aggressive , like or dislike ?

[BHavenBlazer]

I adjust according to down/distance. 3rd and12=conservative. 3rd and 4th=aggressive

[pk556]

Alot of you are looking but not leaving your thoughts , come on guys , help me out here .

[pk556]

come on , dont someone else have opinions to share

[petersondagreat]

what about your D line thats important too because to run a 3-4 properly you need big D lineman. I just added some 3-4 sets to my Playbook. Im using Tenn and my best lineman is Malik Jackson he is my DT 6'5 270 a lil too light to play the nose, so in the 3-4 set I move him to the DE position put in my 6'4 330 Freshman DT at the NT position add another big DE and Im set and they do a decent job stopping the run