Which defense is easier to find player for, the 3-4 or 4-3?

[LikeUntoGod]

Do you think it is easier to find the players to play the 3-4 defense or the 4-3?

 

[PSU Cane]

It's much easier to find guys to play the 4-3. 3-4 is difficult b/c it's hard finding a stud NT, the ILB are usually bigger, and the OLB have to be big enough to stop the run but quick enough to cover in space....and also be able to rush the passer.

 

[Rev Kev]

4/3

 

[RonBrown]

4-3 is much easier

 

[bigvince75]

It really depends. On one hand, the 3-4 can be easier since there a lot of udnersized DE's in college who can move to OLB and since the scheme is based on disguising the pass rush they don't have to beat olines one on one and rely solely on their strength. At the same time you need to have bigger ILBs who can cover as well as dlineman who can take on 2 blockers for extended periods. Also, with the exception of Pittsburgh, basically every 3-4 team uses a 4-3/nickel look for a large amount of snaps.

The 4-3 is simpler to run and doesn't place as big an emphasis on linebackers, but true 4-3 DE's are hard to find and usually cost a lot. Also some schemes like Cover-2 4-3 like the bucs ran are very difficult to run, since it requires elite athletes at virtually every position and is based on 1 on 1 match ups.

 

[Spesh]

4-3 is much easier to find players for.

Thats why you see teams that usual run(or want to run) a 3-4 switch to a 4-3 defense "temporarily".

 

[Dr. Phin]

College teams play alot more 4-3, so it is easier to get them...in 2010 only 14 major college programs were using the 3-4.

 

[lbmclean_nocal]

after seeing us draft 800 3-4 DE's who amounted to nothing I recuse myself from judgement

"no Odrick is the ****, we mean it really. seriously this is the guy to put us over the top"

 

[Ferretsquig]

What is a 3-4 player? JT was a prototypical 4-3 DE until he was DPOTY as a 3-4 OLB. Mario Williams, Matt Roth....these aren't linebackers. I remember when Zach Thomas was far too small to compete as a MLB in a 3-4 scheme.

Talented football players are hard to find.

 

[Buff]

Doesnt matter what scheme is easier to find players for, Miami cant seem to find enough decent players anyway. for either scheme

 

[Tunaphish429]

Its easier to find 34 players.. Generally speaking colleges dont play 34, they play 43...So NFL teams can take a 3 tech or even a NT to an extent and play him at the 5 tech posistion.. Its not as hard to find a 34 NT as alot of ppl make it out to be..It just takes time to develop one.. 34 OLB are easier to find..granted there have been some high draft picks spent on 34 OLB as of late but thats just the trendy thing. Plus most teams know that pass rush is key to success in todays NFL..
Its easier to find 34 OLB's because you can take an undersized De like say Cameron Wake and play him at OLB. In a 43 Wake maybe just too small against the run..We have seen Usi Umiyora's struggles at 43 De. There have been some high picks spent on 34 de as of late.. Tyson Jackson, Marcel Dareus... JJ Watt. These 3 are examples of guys that played de in college but were also big enough to play the 5 tech so they had extreme value and thus went pretty high in the draft..

In a 43 you need 2 De's that can rush the passer and stop the run...Those come at a premium either you have to spend big money in free agency or you have to spend high picks on the posistion... You also need a 3 tech that is stout enough against the run and can rush the passer...Your other DT or Nt is some schemes is not as important in a 43.

 

[Zounds]

4-3 is easier if we are talking about DL and LB. Everyone was switching to a 3-4 a few years ago, and because 3-4 players were in such demand, it made it even harder than usual to find players. I think the 4-3 is the future of the NFL, since it has becaome a pass first leage. 3-4 was originally designed for stopping the run, and there are no run first teams anymore.

 

[Sirspud]

I don't think the 4/3 is as easy to find players as everyone assumes. It comes in handy to just be able to plop two fat guys in the middle to take up blockers for the MLB, but other than that the 4/3 doesn't really succeed unless you have talented DE's who can win with no help against one or two lineman. We had that in JT and we've even had it in two players at the same time, but teams spend top ten picks on defenders year after year in hopes of finding guys who can do that and many of them bust.

In the 3/4, you can generate pass rush just by blitz schemes, your OLB's don't have to be freaks of nature to be successful (look at Joey Porter, lol), and instead of two fat DT's taking up space you have two fat DE's who don't really have to do crap. Also, the 4/3 relies on one MLB to be able to go sideline to sideline, but in the 3/4 you have two middle linebackers.

A 3/4 NT can be hard to find, but that's a player that even when you do find him, he doesn't have to make plays as much as be hard to move. It's easier to find a fat guy with a motor than a guy who can get penetration consistently against NFL tackles.

 

[Sirspud]

4-3 is easier if we are talking about DL and LB. Everyone was switching to a 3-4 a few years ago, and because 3-4 players were in such demand, it made it even harder than usual to find players. I think the 4-3 is the future of the NFL, since it has becaome a pass first leage. 3-4 was originally designed for stopping the run, and there are no run first teams anymore.

You've got it backwards. The 4-3 is what is relied upon to stop the run because it has 4 down lineman whose job it is on nearly every play is to stick to the LOS or get penetration.

 

[dr.jake]

Do you think it is easier to find the players to play the 3-4 defense or the 4-3?

trick question. harder to find true 3 lineman (esp nose tackle) easier to find tweener 4 lb's.