PatsPropaganda

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x and o

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Waiting for the game to start and I’m looking back at some old game film, this shot from the 2009 Bills opener. This was always a defensive front that intrigued me and it was one we only saw in limited use in 2009.

Technically it’s a 4-3, with the defensive line Warren-Wilfork-Wright-Green. Obviously the defensive left is a brick wall, while the defensive right are two pretty good pass rushing defensive ends. Remember this is the year they got rid of Seymour.

Whereas in most 4-3s the outside linebackers would be off the line of scrimmage, here they are on it, as if they were 3-4 OLBs.

All of this leaves one MLB in the middle of the field. I’ve asked a couple X and O guys who are smarter than me about it but have never gotten a clear explanation of what’s going on here.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/waiting-for-the-game-to-start-and-im-looking-back/

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Are there still 3-4 fronts that utilize “2-gap” concepts? The Patriots at times, and the Steelers in their base front, are 2 teams that come to mind. But in a passing league that places a defensive premium on pressuring the quarterback, the reality is, you have far greater pass rush flexibility and versatility out of 4-3 principles, but with 3-4 personnel. You want more athletic defenders, and you want them aligned in gaps so that they can penetrate more effectively. That’s the key. It’s a tactical combination of personnel and concept.

Cosell’s Take: 3-4 and 4-3 concepts more about personnel than defensive fronts | Shutdown Corner – Yahoo! Sports

https://www.patspropaganda.com/are-there-still-3-4-fronts-that-utilize-2-gap/

Cosell’s Take: The evolution of NFL offense | Shutdown Corner – Yahoo! Sports

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Cosell’s Take: The evolution of NFL offense | Shutdown Corner – Yahoo! Sports

That’s what the college game has brought to the NFL – the idea that deception on the offensive side of the ball is a legitimate and highly effective means of breaking down defenses. It’s a multi-dimensional expansion of the basic play action concept that for years was executed with the quarterback under center, and more recently, out of the shotgun. The objective with play action (or more accurately at times, run action) was to create a false read for the defense, primarily at the second level. The linebacker reads run, takes a step or two forward to aggressively play his run responsibility, then is out of position to get to his coverage assignment in time. Very few regard it this way, but play/run action, at its core, is about deception.