3-4 Personnel Importantance
 

so i wanting to get you guys opinion on 3-4 personnel in madden; im going to be drafting a fantasy franchise team and i was wondering does it really matter if i get d-linemen who are real stout and strong or just a D-lineman like Justin Tuck; in other words does personnel really matter in the game?

Re: 3-4 Personnel Importantance
 

No. The game doesn't recognize a true 3-4 DT like Vince Wilfork to freaken a 4-3 DT in Hareem Brock. Or a 3-4 DE like Richard Seymour to a 4-3 DE like Freeney. Mainly because they can't get the most important part of football in there, blocking and double-team blocking!
So no, put whoever you want in there.

Re: 3-4 Personnel Importantance
 

I think defensive tackles and ends in a 3-4 are very important. I had Kevin Williams, Cullen Jenkins, and Aaron Kampman in a franchise and dominated the run. In another I had Vernon Gholston, Tony Daniels, and Elvis Dumervil(none of which should be lineman in the 3-4) and got absolutely manhandled by mediocre teams in the run. An automatic 3 yards at least.

Re: 3-4 Personnel Importantance
 

well yea that makes sense it's just really hard to utilize your star players like Ngata, Vince Wilfork, or Merriman when the front seven of the 3-4 isnt programmed as should be; has anyone found ways around this?

Re: 3-4 Personnel Importantance
 

The 3-4 is fundamentally broken, you will have much more success with a 4-3. I played 4 years with a 3-4 defense as the Cowboys and the highest player in terms of sacks every year was Jay Ratliff (the NT, you know, the one that's supposed to be double/triple-teamed all the time). Over the course of the 4 years D. Ware had around 10 sacks (so much for a 98 OVR pass rushing OLB, and I blitzed him 90% of the time along with the 3 down linemen).

I started a new Franchise as the Chargers and switched over to a 4-3, with Merriman at RE. In the first year he had 18.5 sacks (got injured in week 14 and was out for 3 weeks), and he had 16.0 sacks the following year. The rest of my DL got pressure too (mainly Larry English at LE with 6 sacks his rookie year and 7 the following year, Castillo had a few sacks too). This was the first franchise where I A) had a defender anywhere near the top in terms of sacks and B) wasn't last in the league in sacks by a large margin (still in the bottom 10, but not last).

Re: 3-4 Personnel Importantance
 

The only way I have ever had great success rushing the passer in the 3-4 is to put 4-3 DEs at the DE spot in the 3-4 and rushing with them. I know it is terrible but that is the only way I have had success.

Re: 3-4 Personnel Importantance
 

For me, 3-4 is about the LBs more than the DL.

I strive for six active and intelligent LBs (for depth purposes). Obviously, they won't all be excellent all-around, but they need to be fast and solid tacklers. The first four of those - I try for two good MLBs to be the ILB and then the fastest guys for the OLBs. That gives me physical guys on the inside against the run/TE/FB over the middle, while good speed on the outside for quick blitzing or getting outside on outside runs/short outside passes.

I use the OLBs as blitzers and to play some coverage on the times I call CB blitzes.

The DL - well, as long as they are decent (especially the DE) then I'm cool with it. Again, I like a fast defense so I like Freeny type DEs, but anyone solid should work out. It sucks a true NT can't be achieved, but with the 3-4 you can send pressure from many angles to help out (again, why I want those fast, active LBs).

Then again, I put a lot of responsibility on my LBs. They are my flat defenders, slant defenders, blitzers, man coverage, and run stoppers (either in 4-3, 3-4, 4-6, 3-3-5, Dollar, whatever) so I make it a priority to get the best LBs I can.

Re: 3-4 Personnel Importantance
 

DE-Speed kills. They protect the edges and make plays in the backfield on rollouts and wide runs.

DT-Big and Beefy. High STR rating is key. This guy should be a straight ahead bulldozer.

OLB-Speed kills again. These are your primary blitzers and front 7 playmakers.

MLB-Strength over speed and the higher the AWR the better. Your "inside the hashmarks" run stoppers and they protect the short middle vs the pass.

CB-I choose Strength and Awareness over speed here because they will play so much zone. Smart and able to muscle big WRs.

SS/FS-Speed to protect the deep ball and close on outside runs that break through the front 7.

I play in 3 online franchises and run a 3-4 in all 3(Texans/Titans/Ravens) and am among the league leaders in defensive stats in all 3. You can win and even dominate with this years 3-4 even though you might need to be creative with your playcalling and adjustments.