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3-4

Patriots X and O’s interview with @DraftableXnOs

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Last week I noticed a few tweets from @DraftableXnOs breaking down the Patriots defensive scheme with the kind of depth that was beyond my own observations. I found it reassuring that he was coming to some of the same conclusions that my uneducated eyes had come to on their own, mainly that while the LBs were in an Under alignments, the Defensive Linemen were in Over alignments. I wanted to learn more so a few direct messages later and I had an email interview going with the man behind @DraftableXnOs, Alen Dumonjic.

Below you’ll find some really interesting nuggest from Alen who has long been a fan of BB and is well versed in the schemes that the Patriots have run (even though he’s a Dolphins fan). It’s clear that his understanding of football X and Os far exceed my own so after he graciously answered my unending stream of questions I feel that I have an even better grasp of the Patriots and BB’s overall philosophy.

Mike D: As someone who understands the schemes that the Patriots have been running for a while now, is there any real significance to this 4-3 look we’ve seen here at camp and in the preseason?

Dumonjic: Depends on what they do. Its nothing new I would say, based off of their teachings and what they’ve done over the years, but it could be important depending on what they do coverage wise and run fits wise this year. They are more than likely going to need some more help against the run game because the SLB position isn’t really a strong spot for them at the moment (keywords there), but it could change. Two things about defense in the NFL is despite it supposedly being a passing league, you still need to stop the run, and the number one coverage in the NFL is still Man-Free (Cover 1).

The Patriots goal in their defense is always to have coverage flexibility. That means they try to find various ways to defend the gaps presented by the offense and still try to get the defensive backfield to do their jobs. Its why they place a premium on cornerbacks that can run and have man skills. The more man skills, the more guys you can use in the box. They play over 30 coverages every year. In a clinic that Belichick gave, he stated they played 37 coverages and 17 different fronts, so its clear they try to find different ways to defend the gaps presented by the offense while having enough guys in the defensive backfield.

They’ve always played 3-4 fronts but they’ve often played 4-3 concepts out of them. They did this last year some and a lot in ‘09. Tully Banta-Cain was really a ghost 5 technique and I can’t recall who the SAM was but he played quite a bit of coverage. This year, it seems that they are going to more four down lineman with the mixes of the Over and Under fronts. They’re 2 gapping some with the two interior DL and this has become pretty common in the league with 40 fronts because it can help defeat some zone blocking OLs. You don’t really give them a pure angle to attack you at. I think that we’ll see more 4-3 concepts this year though, even out of the 3-4 front because they can slide in and out of it so easily.

Mike D: Do you think they’re abandoning the 3-4 entirely?

Dumonjic: I don’t think they are necessarily abandoning it but I do think they will be using more 4 man fronts. The reason is because of the lack of a market for stand up pass rushers. Bill Belichick does not like developing pass rushers it seems like, instead he plunges into the free agent market to get one. The reason he doesn’t seem to like to develop pass rushers (from 3 point stance to 2 point stance) is because it is easier to teach them what they already know from college. If you look at the defensive end picks the last five years in the first two rounds, with the exception of the top 5 picks, the rushers have had issues translating to the stand up role, so I think that played a role. Plus, now you’ve got everyone using hybrid defenses (even the Bucs do this now), shifting to 3-4 so that requires certain personnel so the market for those players becomes thinner.

Mike D: We’ve gone into a lot of discussion about 2-gapping vs. 1-gapping here on the blog, and you noted that the Pats were using both for their defensive linemen against the Jags. Could you expand on those techiniques a little more?

Dumonjic: One thing Belichick lives by is his gapping principles. If he’s one gapping, he says you have to get the secondary involved as a force player because you need to account for all the gaps presented by the offense. Now if you’re two gapping, you don’t have to get the secondary involved because you have a guy accounting for two gaps. The latter sounds great but you have to find a guy who can do that. He’s often been a guy to mix gap principles throughout the DL on any given play. He combo-gaps on the DL and we saw some of that during the game against Jacksonville. He two gapped his two interior DL at times, other times only one DL on the interior.

Mike D: How do you see the Patriots using Wilfork, Haynesworth and the rest of the defensive linemen within the context of this 4-3 formation?

Dumonjic: Well I think you don’t really have a choice of Wilfork at any spot other than 1 technique. We could see him at 5 technique again but I think it will be on the strong side in certain situations. Its possible they use him that way like they did last year at times. Haynesworth is going to moved around all along the OL. In Tennessee, he played 1 technique, 3 technique, and weakside 5 technique on pass downs so it will be interesting with him. What’s even more interesting is when a guy like Shaun Ellis gets involved because hes played both 5 techniques, he’s stood up and he’s played 3 technique. This gives them a lot of flexibility and versatility and most importantly, allows them to replace players at positions. The #1 thing Belichick always seeks is replaceable players. He likes plug and play guys, as you know.

Thanks to Alen for a some great, insightful stuff. We hope to have lots more from him this season. If you’re not following him @DraftableXnOs I suggest you do so now.

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“I don’t think the defensive philosophy’s gonna change,” Belichick added. “How we align and how we handle the responsibilities could definitely change by game plan or by what we feel are our strengths and weaknesses, but I don’t think fundamentally our philosophy and techniques will change. I think what we’re teaching, we’ll continue to teach and use on a very consistent basis. How we want to move guys around or put them in certain formations … I think there’s flexibility there.”

“We have an assortment of things to choose from from my time here and depending on how our teams shapes up, what some of these players can do (will help decide the scheme). Some of these players I’ve never coached before so I’m not sure exactly how they’ll fit in or what roles they’ll play in this defense. We’ll just have to wait and see how that turns out. I think we’ll have enough defense where we’ll be able to.”

BB

https://www.patspropaganda.com/i-dont-think-the-defensive-philosophys-gonna/

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“Honestly, most people thought we played a 4-3 at the Giants. Lawrence Taylor did a lot more rushing than he did pass-dropping; probably 80-90 percent of the time he was the rusher in the defense,” Belichick said.

“It wasn’t always a pass, but certainly in passing situations and a lot of pass plays, he was the designated fourth rusher, which really put us in what amounts to a 4-3.

"Honestly, I think that’s something that is a media fabrication. There are a lot of different alignments out there. You see 4-3 teams use odd spacing. You see 3-4 teams use even spacing. You have 11 players, you can put them in various positions. Whether you want to put it on the pre-game depth chart as one thing or another, I think is a little bit overrated.

"You play different fronts, you play different spacing, and you teach the techniques of your defense. That is what consistent, techniques that are taught in different defensive systems, whether those teams go from three-man line to a four-man line, or a four-man line to an odd spacing line, or overs to unders, or unders to overs, or over-wides, whatever you want to call it. They will continue to play the same fundamental techniques as they’ve been teaching for the entire year, for the most part. I think that’s what teaching defensive fundamental football is about. It’s about fundamentals. Wherever you put them, you’ve got to people other people in complementary places, however you decide to do that.

"It’s pretty straight-forward really … It’s more the teaching, techniques and fundamentals you teach your defensive players, more than it is the 4-3, 3-4 lineup that is so important to put on the flip card.”

BB, apparently ripping off my post from yesterday…

https://www.patspropaganda.com/honestly-most-people-thought-we-played-a-4-3-at/

Notes on a Patriots defensive scheme shift

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I know everyone has been going crazy about the possibility of the Pats going to a 4-3 defense this season, of course I’m right there with you. But I’ve found a lot of misinformed articles over the past few days and there are some points that I’d like to hammer home.

  • First, the defense was and will always be a multiple front defense. Let’s not make a bigger deal out of this than we need to, as much as I’d like to. It’s easy to get caught up in things like position names like DE and OLB, but they’re somewhat meaningless and don’t tell the real story about how versatile the Patriots defense remains.
  • The fact remains that while the Pats lack elite 3-4 defensive ends they still have a plethora (yes, plethora) of two-gap type 3-4 defensive tackles. Other than Myron Pryor and maybe Mike Wright I don’t see any traditional 4-3 defensive tackles which leads me to my next point…
  • I suspect that the Patriots version of the 4-3 will not be the straight up Colts/Giants version that is so common. I fully expect two-gap principals on the interior line (Wilfork/Haynesworth/Brace/Love) to remain.
  • If anything I believe it would almost be more of a 2-5-4 scheme that would have a 4-3 Over look.
  • The advantage of the 3-4 is that offenses don’t know where the pressure is going to come from. In a straight up 4-3 you know exactly where it’s coming from, the defensive ends. With how much BB values disguise I don’t see him suddenly moving to the most straight-forward defense that exists in football.
  • Just because Jermaine Cunningham and Eric Moore are seeing time at defensive end doesn’t mean they’ll be expected to suddenly be Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. We’ll still see both on their feet and dropping into coverage at times. That is the great advantage the Patriots would have running a 4-3. Their defensive ends are already comfortable dropping into coverage. This would allow you to throw zone blitz looks fairly easily, with the defensive ends dropping into coverage and a linebacker or defensive back blitzing.
  • Playing at weak outside linebacker would almost assuredly mean over 200 tackles for Jerod Mayo, including more sacks and perhaps interceptions as well. In the 4-3, the weak OLB usually has free reign, meaning Mayo would no longer have to defeat guards and could fully use his incredible speed to make plays all over the field.
  • The Patriots overall team speed and athleticism would be far greater with five linebacker-types on the field, meaning that in their base defense they might be a little more susceptible to the running game, but they’d also be a little more prepared for the passing game on early downs.
  • The number one question that remains is when the Patriots play a run heavy team like the Ravens what do they do? Can they stop the run consistently in this new formation if it is indeed their new base defense? Last year they played the 3-4 on 58 of 77 snaps versus Baltimore. The only really significant storyline is that if they’re no longer running the 3-4 against the offenses that rely on the run game first and foremost.
  • Here’s a diagram of a 4-3 Over defense which is probably the closest thing to what we think the Pats would probably run, and really it’s not that far from a 3-4.

image

NT – Wilfork, 3-tech – Haynesworth, SAM – Guyton, Mike – Spikes, Wwill – Mayo, Buck – Cunningham, DE – Moore

Now it should be a little clearer why Mayo at WLB would have free range, he’s protected by Haynesworth and Moore.

You can also see how much freedom they’d have with two defensive ends who can drop into coverage.

This defense also could make Brandon Spikes a star. Not only would he have more protection from guards, he’d also only have to concern himself with the middle flat in pass coverage which of course was not his strength last year.

We won’t know for sure what the Patriots have brewing until September 12th but it’s certainly fun to speculate based on the camp reports. As they continue to court 4-3 personnel it seems more and more likely that this is a change in philosophy to some extent, but the principals of fielding a big, tough, smart football team will always remain.

Until we see the Patriots in a 4-3 defense against a heavy run team these changes remain “tweaks” in my mind, as opposed to anything that radical. It’s simply trying to get the best players on the field, playing to their strengths, while trying to fix the problems with the pass defense that we’ve seen for the past few seasons.

Belichick on the 3-4 Defense

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During Fairbanks-Bullough 3-4 defense week we brought you some notes from a coaching clinic where Dean Pees gave some pointers on the Patriots defense. Today I found some additional notes and it looks like BB spoke there as well, so forgive me since we’re in the middle of Erhardt-Perkins offense week but I had to share.

Here’s what Belichick laid out…

Bill Belichick Head Coach New England Patriots

Patriot Football

Organization

  • Sign going into the football offices at Gillette Stadium – Do  Your Job
  • Create a division of labor 
  • Put together an organization to become the best
  • Tell staff what to do and say in situations
  • Be out in front of the direction of the team
  • Meets with captains every week because it’s a more manageable group to deal with
  • Allow players to make some decisions, create a connection to program
  • Group discipline and rewards-Works both ways

Setting up a D

  • Must be able to defend what you are going to see
  • Define how you will defend a basic set of problems
  • Regardless of your personnel the 3-4 is more flexible
  • Originally made it easier to sign and draft  players but is changing as more teams adapt 3-4
  • Maintain as much coverage flexibility as possible in order to take away best player 
  • Establish the front 7 to handle running game
  • Running game force is OLB
  • Set Edge
  • Force inside
  • DL two gap responsible, if no two gap must add secondary into run game D
  • If LB is being committed to one gap then secondary comes down
  • Quarters (cover 4) is #1 coverage, Cover 3 is #2.

ESPN: Belichick re-defining the linebacker position

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ESPN: Belichick re-defining the linebacker position

This article is a definite must-read, but it’s back from September 2005 when the Patriots were coming off their 3rd Super Bowl in four years and everything was just rainbows and roses.

This is the best section…

Belichick’s 3-4 scheme is the next step in this evolution. The Steelers’ 3-4 zone blitz was defensive-line oriented and redefined what defensive linemen could do. The Patriots’ 3-4 scheme is linebacker-oriented and is similarly breaking the mold for linebackers.

Belichick recognized two problems with a defensive-line oriented zone blitz scheme. First, even though you can drop the nose tackle into the short zone, it’s not likely he’ll be agile enough at 300 or so pounds to be adept in coverage. Second, to run the scheme properly, a team must find very athletic defensive ends who not only can play the run and rush the passer but also can drop into coverage. Such players are rare.

The Patriots’ solution to the first problem was fairly simple. Instead of dropping oversized nose tackles into coverage, they opted to give that assignment to the 3-4 inside linebacker. Known as “pluggers,” these are bigger linebackers whose main purpose is to stuff the run, but they can defend the pass better than nose tackles. On passing downs, about the only time they’d need a nose tackle to drop into coverage, the Patriots replace the lineman with a plugger linebacker lined up as a nose tackle. If the opponent runs the ball, the plugger is big enough to help stop it. If the opponent passes, he’s much better equipped to drop back.

New England’s solution to the second problem was, in hindsight, fairly obvious, but it didn’t seem so at the time. In 1996, New England drafted defensive lineman Tedy Bruschi out of Arizona. At 250 pounds, Bruschi was a bit small to play defensive end and was struggling, so Belichick and his staff decided to teach Bruschi to play linebacker. His success as a rush linebacker in the 3-4 zone blitz scheme led to an epiphany of sorts. The Patriots realized they could draft undersized defensive linemen and convert them into linebackers. In doing so, they oriented their zone blitz scheme around linebackers rather than defensive linemen. This subtle and seemingly small change had several advantages.

Football University: The 3-4 Defense

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Football University: The 3-4 Defense

We’re finishing off our week of the 3-4 defense strong with this great article with pretty pictures!

“You build it from the inside out,” Collier said. “The nose tackle and the inside linebackers, those are three guys that are very important. But when you go through it, the nose tackle is probably the single-most important guy.”

What do you want from your nose tackle? 

“He has to hold it all together and make it so the guards can’t get out on the inside linebackers. Let me put it this way – the nose tackle can make the inside linebackers look pretty good, and if your inside linebackers look pretty good, you’re going to play pretty good defense.”