This. End of thread.

I can remember more than 1

Steelers
Raiders
Oilers

A 3-4 defense helps hide attacking schemes and blitzes from the offense, making it harder for an offense to call appropriate changes to defensive alignments that they see on a play by play basis. In a 3-4, the defensive line's (the three down linemen, RDE, NT, LDE) primary responsibility is to occupy blockers in order to let the smaller, faster linebackers make plays on the ball. Linebackers, especially the ROLB and ILB, are asked to rush/blitz more, cover more than they would in a 4-3 scenario.

A 3-4 scheme is harder to find players for than a 4-3 system. The ROLB must have superb pass rush skills. The defensive line must be bigger, stronger and be able to hold their point of attack against multiple offensive linemen. Guys like that are a rarity, and why you are seeing a perceived increase in value for guys like Raji and Jackson in this years draft as they are being seen as pure 3-4 scheme type players (although I don't believe that Raji will be effective in this type of system as he's a bit of a one year/Senior Bowl wonder ala Ryan Sims who operated at the one gap uptackle in a 4-3 system in college).

I disagree on the second point. I think a nose tackle is one of the hardest positions to find--I agree with that. But a 3-4 OLB is much easier to find than a 4-3 DE, in my opinion, because there's no shortage of undersized pass rushers on the college level. And a 3-4 DE is no more difficult than finding a 4-3 DT. From the LB standpoint, your inside guys are role players, not multi-dimensional, versatile players, which makes it considerably harder to play. I think Wade Phillips once said that he loves a 3-4 because the DE position has become so hard to find these days.

We don't even know who we are drafting today, much less what defensive scheme we will be running in 2-3 years.

If they're taking Tyson Jackson this hybrid shit goes out the window that guy is pure 3-4.

Because that's what the Patriots Playbook says to do.

All hail the Patriot Way!!!!

[/Pioli-smokers]

I hope we stay with the 4-3 under, it plays like a 3-4 but would free up Dorsey to have 1on1 matchups inside.

They COULD slide him inside, ala Justin Tuck. Not saying it's a good idea, but it's an idea.

You could play a pure 3-4 and still give him 1on1 matchups.

Gap assignments are independent of front. You could play 1-gap or 2-gap and still run a 30 front.