The New Orleans Saints fielded the worst defense in NFL history last season in terms of total yards allowed. When a defense is that pathetic, both the coaching and personnel are to blame. Fans are calling for major changes in both areas this off-season, and that could certainly help the struggling unit. However, perhaps a scheme change could be what the doctor ordered instead. At the very least, the question should be raised: what would the Saints’ defense look like in a 3-4 front?

The 4-3 alignment, which has four down linemen and three linebackers, is a lot different from the 3-4 front (which has three linemen down in a 3-point stance and four linebackers behind them). Currently, 11 teams in the NFL run the 3-4 alignment as their base defense. Changing to a 3-4 was a growing trend from 2009-2012, and up to 17 teams ran the 3-4 or some hybrid version of it at one point. However, recently the trend has been to revert back to the standard 4-3, with five teams doing so last off-season. In the 2009 season (our Super Bowl season), the Saints used elements of the 3-4 front in four games, including playing in the alignment the entire game against the Buffalo Bills in week 3. The Saints also used it in the second half of the Super Bowl to confuse Peyton Manning just before he caught on to what the defense was doing in the first half; it worked. This, combined with the fact that the Saints defense was an eyesore in 2012, leaves many fans wondering if the Saints could run a 3-4, and if so, what it would look like.

Unfortunately, changing alignments isn’t like Madden video games, where it’s possible to plug and play players at different positions with little to no risk. It takes some teams years to build a defensive roster to fit a certain scheme because the two alignments are entirely different.

First and foremost, the most important position in a 3-4 is the nose tackle (NT). Teams have to have a gigantic nose tackle to line up right over the center and clog two, sometimes three gaps. Whereas the common 4-3 defensive tackle is about 6’4, 300, an average 3-4 nose tackle is generally about 6’4, 325. Some teams, however, prefer smaller, quicker nose tackles. The Cowboys’ Jay Ratliff is a sub-300 pound penetrator that excels at the position. On the other hand, the famous Vince Wilfork is about 6’1, 375. The key is that the NT has to be able to command double-teams, filling two or three gaps.

Commanding double-teams is also essential for the defensive ends in a 3-4 as well. Think about it: when there are five offensive linemen every play, and a defense that generally has four lineman now has only three, it’s obvious that the three defensive linemen are going to have to fill more space and take up more blockers. Whereas a 4-3 defensive end is typically 6’3, 270, a 3-4 defensive end is ideally 6’5, 290. It’s very important that the 3-4 end has extremely long arms; a wide range and wingspan helps command and fight off multiple blockers. The prototypical 3-4 ends in the NFL today are Justin Smith and JJ Watt. But in a 4-3, they would likely play inside as a 3-technique DT. The 3-technique basically means 3 shoulder-widths away from where the ball is snapped (directly over the ball is a 0-technique). Therefore, nose tackles in the 3-4 line up over the ball, which means they are “0-techs.” By this logic, 3-4 ends play the 5-technique, controlling two gaps, whereas 4-3 ends generally are in 7-technique, further away from the ball, meaning they are mainly concerned about collapsing the pocket from the outside. I don’t want to bore anyone with technique; the point is that 3-4 defensive ends need to be much taller, bigger, rangier, and longer than 4-3 ends.

The linebackers are also very different. A traditional 4-3 linebacking corp consists of three linebackers: a strong side outside linebacker, a middle linebacker, and a weak side outside linebacker. A 3-4 linebacking core consists of two inside linebackers who act as middle linebackers, and two outside linebackers that play much closer to the sidelines than anyone in the front seven.

Generally speaking, the easiest position transition from a 4-3 defense to 3-4 defense is the middle linebacker converting to an inside linebacker. Although it’s a completely different scheme, playing middle linebacker and inside linebacker usually involves the same basic skill-set, and the size difference isn’t much if anything. The only real major difference is that 3-4 ILBs may have to shed more blocks because the nose tackle can’t command as many blockers as two defensive tackles could.

Outside linebackers in a 4-3 defense are much different from outside linebackers in a 3-4. In a 4-3, a typical strong side linebacker (SAM), who is a little thicker than your weak side linebacker because he has to take on more blocks and fight through more clutter, is about 6’2, 250. A 4-3 weak side linebacker (WILL) goes around 6’1, 235. The WILL needs to be more agile and quicker because they don’t have to worry about shedding blocks and picking through trash as much, as they have more free room to fly to the ball. On the other hand, outside linebackers in a 3-4 have two main responsibilities: they must set the edge in the running game (which is basically a way of saying “don’t let anyone get outside of you”), and and they have to be able to rush the passer. Outside linebackers in a 4-3 aren’t called to rush the passer as much, so they don’t necessarily need that pass-rushing skill-set. In a 3-4 front, OLBs are often called to pressure the QB, and they are asked less to drop back in coverage than a 4-3 OLB would be. So, usually a team that converts from a 4-3 to a 3-4 will place an undersized 4-3 defensive end at 3-4 outside linebacker because of their pass rushing skills. This was the case this year with former DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, who now usually play outside linebacker in Chuck Pagano’s 3-4 scheme. In other words, if a guy like Packers OLB Clay Matthews was on the Saints, he’d be a defensive end.

However, it doesn’t always work out the way it’s planned. Clearly, Mathis and Freeney aren’t nearly as effective as outside linebackers because it’s unfamiliar to them. They have been playing with their hands in the ground (down a 3-point stance) their entire lives. Sometimes it’s a tough transition. However, sometimes a player will break out when the defensive scheme changes. Former Bengals’ defensive tackle Justin Smith was merely a decent player before joining the Niners and dominating as a 3-4 DE. It really all depends on the players’ skill-set, and whether their body size is better suited for certain alignments.

Unfortunately, scheme changes can weed them out of a job. For instance, there are a lot of players who don’t fit in either scheme because of their size. Defensive tackles in a 4-3 who are too stout, and not rangy enough to play 3-4 end, and too small to play nose tackle, suddenly don’t have a position in the 3-4. These guys are known as “tweeners,” and are oftentimes released. An example of a DT that would fit that mold is Sedrick Ellis. Ellis, 6’0, 305, doesn’t have the wingspan to play 3-4 end, and he’s not big enough to control the center of the line as a nose tackle. Another common tweener is a 4-3 defensive end that is too small to play 3-4 DE, but too big to play 3-4 OLB. An example of this would be Will Smith. Smith is not rangy or thick enough to command and fight off two blockers as a 3-4 DE. And you would never ask Will Smith to set the edge at linebacker; he’s not quick enough and he surely can’t be asked to drop back in coverage occasionally.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the Saints’ defense.

The first thing I notice is that the Saints don’t have a player that fits the bill of the most essential cog of the 3-4 alignment: a pure nose tackle. The main candidate would have to be 6’5, 325 Akiem Hicks, but he’s extremely raw and often even lined up as a 3-technique DT when fellow DT Broderick Bunkley was on the field. Bunkley, however, is too small to play NT, and he doesn’t get the pass push that a NT needs. It would certainly be interesting to see Hicks try out the 3-4 NT position, though. So for now, the Saints would likely start Akiem Hicks at NT. 

At defensive end, perhaps the best fit of the entire front-7 would be moving Cam Jordan from 4-3 DE to 3-4 DE. He played in the 3-4 in college, and he was dominant. He has perfect measureables for 3-4 end, and I believe he’d be one of the top-10 ends in the league. Unfortunately, however, Broderick Bunkley seems a little heavy, a little short, and not mobile enough to play 3-4 end. In sum, Bunkley is a tweener, so even though he is a great run stuffing defensive tackle for the Saints, he’d likely come off the bench at either DE or NT. As a role player, his flexibility is an asset, not a liability. The other starting end would have to be Will Smith. Smith is 6’4, 280. Although he’d be an undersized end, his pass-rushing skill-set and makes him a better fit than Bunkley. So, the Saints would likely start Will Smith and Cam Jordan at DE. 

Recall that 3-4 outside linebackers have the main assignments of setting the edge in the running game and rushing the quarterback in the passing game. The Saints’ two best pass rushers happen to fit this mold perfectly. Junior Gallette and Martez Wilson don’t start for the Saints because they are too small to play full-time 4-3 DE, as they would get swallowed in the running game. However, at outside linebacker, they would have to shed less blocks, and they could use their mobility to their advantage setting the edge in the running game. Although neither player is a dominant pass rusher, I think both would be a more natural fit in the 3-4. Junior Gallette and Martez Wilson would start at OLB. 

At inside linebacker, Vilma would likely be benched because of his size. He struggled in New York when they switched to a 3-4, which was one of the reasons the Saints were able to get him cheaply. Although it’s tough to say whether Lofton and Hawthorne would struggle as well, they are both versatile players whom the Saints would start. David Hawthorne and Curtis Lofton would start at ILB. 

The secondary would remain intact. It’s tough to say whether FS Malcolm Jenkins is moving to nickel corner, or whether the Saints will retain SS Roman Harper. There are a lot of question marks in the secondary. However, I think it would serve the Saints well to at least try a few 3-4 looks next season. The key would be if Akiem Hicks can hold up as a solid nose tackle. If so, I don’t see any reason why the Saints’ wouldn’t at least use the alignment as an occasional hybrid, to throw off offenses. After last season’s debacle, the defense can only improve with change, right?

-WHODAT
*Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

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Categories: The WHODAT GUIDE

Tags: 3-4, 3-4 defense, difference between 4-3 and 3-4, elements of a 3-4 defense, Saints 3-4, Saints run 3-4