I have to say that confuses me a bit. To me, the advantage of the 3-4 is in its ability to disguise things, especially blitzes and pressure. The trade off is having less size and numbers on the line of scrimmage in the run game.
Why run that in base downs only to change it up in obvious passing downs? That doesn’t make sense to me.
No, it is the opposite.
The 3-4 is a run defense.
To convert a 4-3 to 3-4, the 4-3 DTs and DEs each move towards the outside and an NT is inserted in the middle.
- The DEs stand up and are now called LBs.
- The DTs are now called DEs.
In order to add the NT, the 4-3 SLB is removed.
The net result is that the 320+ NT replaces the 240-ish SLB.
Deception of pass rushers was just a side benefit. Buddy Ryan had the same deception in Philly with a 4-3 by using zone blitzes where a DE would drop in coverage and a LB would rush.
The 3-4 being a run defense is the reason that teams play 3-4 in base and a 4-man DL in Nickel.
Having the outside players (3-4 OLBs) stand up is as much for run defense as pass rush.
- It gives them an extra step or step and a half towards the sideline on outside running plays as compared to having their hand down.
- Much of the coverage by 3-4 OLBs is in the flat against RBs or end-around type plays. This allows the CB on that side to have less responsibility to come up against the outside run.
- Many DEs in a 4-man DL often stand up for the same reasons.
The problem with Nolan last season was not the alignment. It was the fact that he played read & react instead of a penetrating/attacking style.
- Modern 3-4 defenses like the Bill Belichick defense and in previous in previous years the Wade Phillips defense are 1-gap penetrating defenses that just occasionally 2-gap or just have the NT 2-gap while everyone else plays 1-gap defense.