Compiled 3-4 thread

[daone]

From the recent 3-4 I decided to post this...
I have searched the internet far and wide and have compiled all the 3-4 info I have found in a readable format…My personal contributions are at the end…If I forgot to credit you or you want your stuff removed…let me know!

I have tried to split this in to thirds.

1.) General Info From Posts
2.) Plays
3.) Summary, by me (done soon)

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE!

[daone]

I use mostly a 3-4 for my base.

Try this for starters:

Since there's no 2Man Under play with a 4 man rush by default, create it yourself.

This is how you do it. Take any DoubleZ/X/TE plays, take control of the safety that's in man coverage (or click on him pre-snap quickly so you don't tip his man coverage off) and shift the opposite safety's deep zone towards his side so he coverages his deep half rather than the deep middle. So there's your man under Cover2 if you cover your half manually with the safety your in control of. And as far as adjusting the D-line, you can either shift it left or right in the direction of the blitzing OLB or spread it out to help give that OLB a free path into the backfield. If you setup the rush like that, the offense is going to have to use an extra blocker to account for the overload rush off the edge by the OLB and that gives you a bit more freedom to defend the WRs especially. This is a far better 4 man pass rush than any 4-3 IMO. I personally like setting it up so the OLB rushes off the widest side of the field or from the side where the TE is, that way if the TE is constantly released on pass routes, that OLB has a better chance of getting in & infront of the QB's face since chances are the QB will look for the TE. Or you can sometimes man that blitzing OLB up on the TE for double/triple coverge or man him up to the SE or FL to be in position to take away slants or purple/flat/hook/deep zone him to keep it a guessing game. Pretty nice way to play vanilla yet create a bit of havoc and confusion.

Other than that, of course there's a bit more aggressive man under blitzes, but the most aggressive I usually like to go is Cover1 and plays like OLB Dogs Fire, Weak/Strong blitz are pretty nice. What I like to do sometimes with that Weak/Strong blitz is shift the LBs in the direction of the blitz so it turns into more of a 4-3 look, but then playmaker that blitzing ILB to a purple zone so he helps take away the quick slant in that direction, might want to leave the safety that's in man coverage towards that side a bit back deep to show a Cover2 look. Sometimes what I like to do also though is pick the 2Man Under play, freeze the Defense, playmaker all my Linebackers to blitz, then from there, based on what I see in the possible protection scheme of the offensive formation, I will usually then re-playmaker a couple of my Linebackers to Man or Zone and I might take control of a LB. So it might seem like 2Deep man under all around, but my LBs could be in zone/man w/ blitz, can sometimes help take away the obvious slants or quick flat hits that people do when they notice man.

I also love zone blitzing out of the 3-4, but that's a whole different ball game and a lot of the pre-snap adjustments I like to make are based on where my opponent lies inconjunction with the hash marks, downs & distance and the offensive formations. I like to mix it up a lot, but try to make my alignments look similiar so you don't know whats coming and freezing the Defense helps a lot with that IMO. Main thing I try to do is bring atleast 5 everydown and I like to do that by playmakering all my Linebackers to blitz first, them after adjust on the fly based on what I said in my first sentence of this paragraph. I personally believe that if you bring the heat first out of Zone, it helps open up the use of those vanilla zones or "F@G" all out coverage zones later on as a surprise tactic.

Heres some more techniques.

Try crashing the line to open the gap for the blitzters,it doesn't give away what you are doing as much and is still very effective.

Blitz different linebackers all the time,thats the advantage of it,its really tough to tell where the 4th(or 5th ) rusher is coming from.


Things like having the DEs into coverage and the OLBs blitzing can really throw off your opponent,or corners blitzing and the OLBs covering their area.Things like that.

Having trouble with the TEs? try calling one of those Double TE plays and manually bump the TE so the timing will get thrown off and then he will be in blanket coverage between the OLB and TE.

But like sully said, bring someone (or two) every down. From different directions, LB's, CB's ... even sneak your safety down there and on PA passes, they can get in there and wreak some havoc. Blitzing the OLB and dropping the DE into coverage is nice ... just switch it up all the time. A great chess game that is fun ... I just need to work on some good zones for when teams spread the field with 3,4 and 5 WR's ... any help with that. I am also converting to the 3-4 PB from the Balanced D PB ... I think I am going to run 3-4 with whatever team I have. Just sub in the strong DT's as DE's if that is the case ...

[daone]

I run a 3-4 with San Diego. This is not so much a 3-4 write-up but more how to use the 3-4 to create a turnover or a 3 and out.

My latest strategy is to win 1st and 2nd downs and force a pass on 3rd and long. I control the FS and I usually call a coverage play (mostly cover 2) out of the 3-4 solid formation for 1st downs. Playmaker an OLB to blitz to create the 4 man front (different everytime) I have found that the solid formation is better against the run and usually stops the run for a minimal gain.

If I can get 2nd and 7 or longer, most people go pass thinking that their run for 3 yards was unsuccessful. Then I call a play out of the 3-4 normal. I like the zone plays, so I will go cover 3 or cover 2 man. Again playmaker a LB to blitz (different everytime) and watch the underneath stuff. Sometimes I playmaker more than 1 LB if I think they will run again.

If I can get 3rd and 6 or 3rd and 7 I switch to a 3-3-5 cover 3. This play tends to work well with 2 purple zones and 3 guys in deep coverage. If they throw underneath again, chances are they won't make the 1st down and it's 3 and out. I'll playmaker the LOLB to blitz (for me it's merriman) and he gets great pressure. This is because the DE engages the OT and the LB runs around the corner totally unblocked. The offense has to make a play because it's 3rd and long, so the QB is forced to throw it early. This leads to int's or incomplete passes most of the time. The key to this play is that I can get tons of pressure with a 4 man rush. That means I have 7 guys in coverage.

The other way is get up early. If I am up 14-0 most guys tend to abandon the run and only pass. (mostly deep passes) At this point in the game I'll run 3 deep man out of the 3-3-5.

I love the 3-4 defense and usually start a thread on it every year. I run a lot of 3-4 normal plays, because it has the most plays and the best zone blitzing plays. Line shifts and stunts work more this year. I've changed my philosophy on running the 3-4 recently, but the scheme itself is the same from past years.

I like running a lot of 2 modified man under schemes to stop the run. Seems they get to the ball better doing so, 2 man under might be the best D this year. As others have said there is no default 2 man under 4 man rush, but you can create it like booboo. Or you can run 2 man under/man QB spy and blitz the spying/zoning WILB. This generates a 4 man pass rush and still provides excellent man coverage across the field.

Other than playmakering that WILB to blitz, Try this also with that 2Man Under QB Spy Play to mix things up a bit:

-Playmaker that QB Spy WILB to a purple zone and now he's in position to take away slants to the SE reciever or man him up to the SE, but leave him in his default spot if you man him up so you don't tip the man coverage and that way he remains with inside positioning on the SE reciever. Also playmaker him to man up on the TE that's on the right side of the screen and now he's in position to take away Post routes over the middle to the TE, again leave him in his default position or playmaker him to a deep zone.

-Flip the play so the QB Spy is with the SILB, then playmaker him to a Purple zone and know he's in position to guard corner routes to the TE.

Just some ideas for creating some solid coverage.

Another good play is FS Blitz, you can turn this play into a 3 man under play with a few quick playmakers. You have the freedom of playmakering the FS to cover the SE, leave him on the blitz, put him into a deep zone and make it cover 4 man under, hook zone him, flat zone him. The SILB has the same options he's on a blitz by default.

My favorite zone blitz would have to be crash man. It sends the RCB on a blitz with the rest of the secondary dropping into a 3 deep zone. The MLBs are blitzing as well as the DT and LE drop into coverage. You can turn this into a balanced zone blitz by stunting the enter D-line down and playmakering one of the blitzing MLB to hook zone to cover the middle of the field. Which essestinally covers the entire field. The flats are open, but the deep flats are covered.

The best way to zone blitz though is to modify the base cover 2, cover 3 and drop zone plays though to your liking. Playing zone mostly has to do with opponents tendecies like booboo said.

[daone]

My favorite man blitzes are strong blitz and the OLB blitz (torpedos) it gets a different name depending on the playbook. These two plays are not only good pass blitzes, but run blitzes as well. Some more run stuffing man blitzes are Stud & pinch, but their both cover 0 type blitzes so if they get past the front line their liable to break a big one.

I set up my 3-3-5 and 2-4-5 like the 3-4. Generally against a 2 WR 2RB set with the 335 I come out in a 2 man under, pinch and crash the line to the middle, pinch the LBs, blitz the MLB and stack him on the NT, put my 3rd CB in a blitz and move him inside to a LB postion, and control a safety 5 yards back from the LOS. Gets good heat and leaves everyone exept the FB covered in man with 2 safeties deep.
When I just use the regular 3-4 sets I have 2 blitzes that I use alot.
1st is the Wide Blitz, I move the LB thats in a buzz zone to the outside to line up as the #2 CB, I bring the blitzing CB in beside the DE, I pinch the LBs and stack them.
2nd is trio sky zone, I move the line to the right and the LBs to the left, I move the safety covering the deep middle down in between the LBs and PM him to blitz, and manually cover the deep middle with my LB. flats are wide open but its still good heat.

I run the 3-4 exclusively now and to stop the run I shift my D-line or LB's towards the strength(it's up to you to decide) and stack the LB's behind the D-lineman or sometimes I bring my 2 ILB's down into the A or B gaps depending on how my D-line is aligned, this helps to clog up the middle and usually one of my ILB's or my DT get penetration, this technique also works well against plays were the guards pull(counters, sweeps, and tosses) b/c the ILBS are able to shoot the gaps in the line left by the pulling O-lineman b/c they are already aligned in the gaps instead of back off the ball...

A play to stop the run that works pretty well as a base is 3-4 Under Man- Qb spy( I forget the actual name, but it's man with 2 safties back, and the MILB is in spy). I adjust the De's and Lb's differently depending on what the O comes out in and where they have thier Te's etc etc. You have to play with it a bit but it works. I prefer to pinch the LBs, either fan oput the DE's or have the crash the middle, you have to get a feel for what the opponent is doing and what your guys are capable of covering. I use Wash and they all tackle decent so this works for me.



To stop short yardage if Im not near a goalline I use 3-4 Under Cover -2 man. I pinch the line and crash them middle, I pinch the lb's you can spy 2 of them, or put the 2 outside to a spy blitz (the black arrows) to contain any attempt to get the outside, also put the CB's a touch inside thier men and possible place the safties where you feel they are needed.

Nothing works 100% but these work enough that I use them more then not.

OH yeah, Wide Blitz and Crash Blitz, I definitely throw those in there. I like to enhance both of those though the majority of the time. Great vs. the PA happy dudes or containing QB rollouts. What I mean by enhancing them is that I usually playmaker the D-line to loop rush so it negates their zone blitz dropbacks and then after I might re-playmaker the Linbackers around to zone or blitz. I just personally prefer for the D-line to rush all three so they help tie up blocks for giving my blitzing LBs or blitzing CB to get in easier. Sometimes I do run these plays with their default setups, but I feel that's better to do vs. people that throw super quick or spread sets, that way those D-linemen can dropback into those quick/short passing lanes. Sometimes I even manually move my blitzing CB up close to the box near the outside of the DE/TE so the rush is super quick.

I recently took the 3-4 normal crash blitz out of my audibles and put in the 3-4 normal weak roll/weak roll 3 into my audibles. Its more flexible than the crash/wide blitz because the WOLB is already blitzing to the inside of the RE. You can also playmaker the ROLB into flatz coverage and blitz one of the hook zoning MLBs.

Also the CB that would normally be blitzing is in a flat zone by default so you can just playmaker him once and you have buzz flat coverage for the quick pass or you can have him come on the blitz at your will.

I really like the play and I find myself using it more often than I used crash blitz because of its flexible.

In one of feardarams 3-4 write ups, he discusses spreading and looping the D line, and pinching the LB's to help hide them behind the D line.

[daone]

1.)When i try to do this it seems that I get eaten up on the inside runs. Maybe i haven't given it enough chance, but I haven't liked what I've seen with this setup. I find myself running more of the 3-4 over without shift to contain more runs, anyone else??

1.)inside runs are probably the hardest thing for the 3-4 to stop, regardless of alignment. there are possibly better alignments out there than mine for playing defense strictly against dives, but to me its not worth it to change, since i never know what is coming. i find my setup to be the best overall for defending everything. for me, the best way to stop a dive is to get up in there with the saftey and make the tackle. if the dives get repetitive, watch exactly how the QB drops back and hands it off. whenever you see that run, use the run playmaker. just be careful to only do it when you see that exact footwork/hand off.

I prefer to do that with the 3-4-Normal-OLB Dogs Fire play or with the "Normal" in general. Sometimes just Pinching the Linebackers in helps. I feel it's better to use more Over/Under/Solid to help stop the inside run. I actually use more Over/Under/Solid vs. 1-2WR sets because they seem to do a solid enough job vs. the run because of how the D-linemen line up, and I use the Normal when I setup more zone blitzes vs. 3+WR spreadier sets especially. I say keep on blitzing hard, it helps a lot to stop the run when using the 3-4.

2.) I like BOOBOOSD's scheme with modifying the 3-4 double x/y/z plays to get a 4 man rush and playing as the safety the you pm into a deep zone. One question though, how do you not tip off where the 4th man is rushing from? Can't you tell where the 4th rusher is coming from by which safety you play as??

2.) first, most people dont really understand what you are doing anyway. unless they play the 3-4 and do what you do, it wont tell them anything. #2, i routinely mix it up by leaving the saftey who is doubling the WR alone, and then control the saftey in the deep zone on the otherside (make sure to freeze the d, or move the other saftey over a step, so he doesnt run overtop the WR he is doubling). this way, if they do know what i like to do, they will be wrong about which side the pressure is coming from.

You can hide that 4th rusher by not using the Coverage audible shift (Triangle + Right). Once you use the coverage audible shift, your going to tip off that either that 1 OLB is blitzing or playing zone because that OLB won't move when you do the coverage audible shift. So if you do use the coverage audible shift, you might want to sometimes playmaker that blitzing OLB to zone or man coverage, to keep your opponent guessing whether he will blitz or not, but if you man him up on someone to create double coverage, don't allow him to move, keep him in his natural position so you don't tip it off. I personally don't care though if my opponent knows which OLB is blitzing, because it's just like using a basic 4-3 - 2 ManUnder defense, the offense knows that the 4Downlinemen are rushing, so it's kind of the same concept, but IMO it's better out of the 3-4 because the heat by that blitzing OLB can be setup better by overloading the O-line by spreading or shifting the D-line & using D-line crashes in the direction of the blitzing OLB. That's pretty much how I setup this play the majority of the time because I want that OLB to get in vs. the pass, regardless if it hinders my run defense a bit and I want to force my opponent to use extra blocker(s) so it's less recievers to have to defend, such as a troublesome TE or HB/FB attacking the flats. And no you can't really tell where that 4th rusher is coming from by looking at which safety you control, reason being is because if you control that safety in man coverage, he's just an extra roam style defender since he's in double coverage same with the other safety in deep zone, he's just being used to double up someone or defend the deep/short/middle zone or whatever you want to do with him because he's not manned up 1 on 1 with anyone. So the only way to tip that 4th rusher off is by using the Coverage audible shift because everyone else will slide into "better" man coverage defending position, other than that one blitzing OLB which stays put because he's blitzing. BTW, I actually prefer to play as the safety that's in man coverage, or I'll click on him and move him a bit pre-snap so he doesn't slide over to double off the receiver, then I'll go use the opposite safety in deep zone. Remember, if you play as the safety in man coverage, shift the opposite safety's deep zone all the other way, to create a 2Deep style of play or if you roam lower or manual blitz with that safety that's in man coverage, you just leave that deep zone safety playing the deep middle.

and that right there is the key to the 3-4 (or any D really). mix things up. make your opponent thing 1 thing is coming, set up your D to show that 1 thing, then do something else.

[daone]

This is very important. Case in point. Last night I was playing a league game and this guy was killing my 3-4 all game with his RB's staying in to block and audibling for pass coverage. I couldn't buy a sack the whole game. He came back on me and was driving for the winning score. I had mixed it up all game. I would play the 3-4, cover 2 and blitz the LB's on the edge to get quick pressure and force a quick throw. However, this time I didn't blitz anyone ... he still rushed his read and threw the ball right to my CB in the flat zone. 92 yard INT for a TD with like 1:55 left so I go up 7 ...

My point is that because I mixed up my coverages all game, I was able to get this INT because he was totally expecting major heat ...

2. As far as which safety I use tipping off the 4th rusher, I think as long as I'm not getting into a pattern it shouldn't be a problem. Booboo, I will almost always freeze the D so the safety moving over to cover his double pre snap is not an issue.

Your welcome. Yeah, you can also freeze the Defense like you said. I always freeze the defense when I use Zone coverage especially. However, with man coverage, I personally don't freeze as much because you can run into problems when the offense uses motion and compression sets, there could either be some very big mis-matches like a speedy WR vs. a slower LB or your defender could be out of position to defend certain types of routes. I do however sometimes freeze while in man under coverage if I'm in Nickel, Dime or Quarter because those DBs in the slots are usually in adequate position to still guard against motion or compression sets. I mean lets say your in a 3-4-2Deep man under, you freeze the defense, the offense comes out in I-Form-Normal, they then motion their FL reciever to the left to create a I-Form-TwinWR set, that then leaves your ROLB maned up to the FL who is now in the slotWr spot. That's a mis-match in speed and if you don't unfreeze to get that ROLB in a better position or coverage audible so the #1CB comes over, that FL is going to have the outside position with corner routes, flat routes, fade routes and have the speed advantage to get deep vs. that OLB on streaks/fades/Corner routes. So your basically forced to help cover with the safety over top. That's why I think it can be a bit risky to do it out of the 3-4 especially or any base type D with 2CBs. On the other hand, like I said, with Nickel, Dime,... you atleast got that Nickelback or Dimeback out there and he'll have good positioning on any SlotWR and of course there's not as much of a speed mis-match as compared to a LB vs. a WR.

Can you explain to me what you mean by shifting the opposite safety's deep zone all the other way. Do you mean doing triangle and either right or left so that you can roam with the other safe who is doubled up on the WR?
The double x type plays are originally a cover one with the other saftey deep in the center of the field. So if you going to play as the manned up (doubling) safety and want 2 deep safety's back you need to playmaker his deep zone from the center of the field to the outside away from your safety. Your manually controlled safety you want to cover the other deep zone.

All those 3-4-DoubleZ/X/DoubleTE plays are Cover1 by default, with either the FS or SS taking the deep middle zone of the field, that's Cover1 and the opposite safety is in man coverage doubling up on a reciever. So inorder to negate that Cover1, what I do is shift that safety's deep zone all the way towards his side so he takes his deep half of the field and I manually play the opposite deep half with the other safety that's in man coverage. That's just the way I turn those 3 plays into a Cover2 man under play. But if you want to manually roam lower in the box with the Safety like a Linebacker Troy Polamalu style to help stop the run, manual blitz or get in the passing lanes of short to midrange passes, then it's best to leave that other safety playing the deep middle. Pretty cool way to mix it up because initially you can show a 2Deep look, but then at the last second drop down with that safety for manual blitzing, stopping the run or jump a route for an INT. That's just the way I like to utilize these plays sometimes when I control the SS especially. Sometimes I do like to control the safety that's in deep zone, but if I do that, I make sure the opposite safety that's in man coverage doesn't slide over to double up his reciever because it will tip off the coverage and to do this I take quick control of that safety pre-snap and move him a tad bit.

If you want to roam (play a shorter zone, man cover, flat zone, blitz, etc.) with the user controlled safety then I believe BOOBOOSD is recommending not to move the other safety's deep zone, keep it in the middle (cover1) of the field.

[daone]

right. say on the play the FS (the saftey on the left of your screen) is the one in the deep zone, and your SS is on the right of your screen manned up. i would shift the FSs zone to the left, to make sure he plays his side as good as possible. i dont need him to cover the middle, i need him to watch for a streaking WR down his sideline. shifting the coverage over does that. in this case, it would be triangle + left on the R analog stick.

I stay in the 3-4 all game if I can pull it off.
Mostly cause I hate running man coverage and the plethora
of zones and zone blitzes you can run are ridiculous.

My favorite thing to do with any 3-4 play is set up
a qb trap type scheme. I'll blitz either one of the OLB's
and shift/crash my line towards him. Then put the DE
opposite your blitzing LB in a contain assignment.

The overload should push the qb to the "containing" DE.

Yeah that's good and that's still only a 4 man rush. That's why I love the 3-4 so much, it's so d@mn flexible and it's easy to setup heat/containment with overloads.

When I setup a 4 man rush like that, I personally prefer to blitz that OLB off the widest side of the field. Reason being is because most people will roll out and look to throw towards the widest side of the field because there's more room to work with. Therefore if the QB rolls out too much or doesn't setup protection, he might roll right into the blitzing OLB. Main thing I try to do is to either force him to setup extra protection or roll out/look to the opposite side where there's less room to work in passes.

Those are just some things that I like so much better than a 4-3. It's so much harder to get that kind of outside rush angle with a DE from the 4-3, so it can be tough to contain.

It's all about angles and that's the beauty of the 3-4 OLBs because they start their rush angles from the far outside-in like a blitzing Nickelback or Dimeback putting the tackles in very awkward positions to block them, especially if their very speedy rushers. Not to mention you got those big 3 Downlinemen that can help tie up blocks, further more helping freeup those OLBs on blitzes.

A 4 man rush from the 3-4 if setup to overload can pretty much seem like a 5 man rush from the 4-3.

I stay in the 3-4 all game if I can pull it off.
Mostly cause I hate running man coverage and the plethora
of zones and zone blitzes you can run are ridiculous.

My favorite thing to do with any 3-4 play is set up
a qb trap type scheme. I'll blitz either one of the OLB's
and shift/crash my line towards him. Then put the DE
opposite your blitzing LB in a contain assignment.

The overload should push the qb to the "containing" DE.

This is a nice little tip. Plus the DE you can playmaker to a QB Spy or the QB Contain Blitz ... or drop him back in coverage and have him go for the INT. Good tip. Also, I am working on using zones for the whole game ... it just makes it a little harder for the offense if they can't depend on man for one of our 3 downs. And since the defenders play zone so much better this game, it helps.

Yeah that's good and that's still only a 4 man rush. That's why I love the 3-4 so much, it's so d@mn flexible and it's easy to setup heat/containment with overloads.

When I setup a 4 man rush like that, I personally prefer to blitz that OLB off the widest side of the field. Reason being is because most people will roll out and look to throw towards the widest side of the field because there's more room to work with. Therefore if the QB rolls out too much or doesn't setup protection, he might roll right into the blitzing OLB. Main thing I try to do is to either force him to setup extra protection or roll out/look to the opposite side where there's less room to work in passes.

Those are just some things that I like so much better than a 4-3. It's so much harder to get that kind of outside rush angle with a DE from the 4-3, so it can be tough to contain.

It's all about angles and that's the beauty of the 3-4 OLBs because they start their rush angles from the far outside-in like a blitzing Nickelback or Dimeback putting the tackles in very awkward positions to block them, especially if their very speedy rushers. Not to mention you got those big 3 Downlinemen that can help tie up blocks, further more helping freeup those OLBs on blitzes.

A 4 man rush from the 3-4 if setup to overload can pretty much seem like a 5 man rush from the 4-3.

That tip about the blitz coming from the wide side of the field is a nice kernal of wisdom. I am going to have to look at that ... shorten the field and force the Offenses' hand ...

So ... fellas ... take a team like the Redskins in Madden. They are not a "typical" 3-4 team but I play with them alot and I want to use them in the 3-4 ... they have some good LB's (Washington, Marshall, McIntosh and now Posey) ... how would you set them up to do the 3-4??

[daone]

I been coverting over to the 3-4 D for about 6 months now and it's the best way so far that I've found at containing some of the runs out there.Some of the things you guys talked about already sounds to me like a great way to help me start confusing my oppents better and I'm looking forward to implimenting them into my game plan here in the near future.Here are 3 or 4 of the ones I like to use and maybe you guys can help to make them better.1ST is the Pinch and what I do is shift the line to the right pm them down then pinch the line and shift my lb's to the right.Next I bring the rilb up inside the rde and ethier manually control him over the middle or rush him in if I think it's a need at the time.Sometimes I put the olbs in man to help take away the flats or te.2ND one is the weak blitz and all I do is shift the line left and crash it outside and call B-N-R if I think it's a need too.3rd is the strong blitz but I don't use this one much but if I do I will flip this play depending on what I see has been happening on the field.4th is the drop zone and all I do with this one is shift my line right and control the lilb and bring him down over the lde.Once the ball is snapped I'll drop him back a step and then manually rush him thru the a gap between the c and rg.9 times out of 10 I can get him in untouched.Well any improvements to these would be help and thanks for your tips as well gentlemen.

General Info:

The 3-4 defense vs the 4-3 in comparison is not just the amount of down linemen or linebackers in comparison to each other. Being that usualy a 4th rusher is added, that rusher can come from any where not just the linebackers. It can be a Safety(s) or cornerback(s) or a combination of any number of players from the three levels of the defense (DL's,LB's,DB's). To provide an adequate pass rush or to just x out or to occupy linemen, to open up rushing lanes to the "Prey" (The QB).

In the 43 when you send a rusher other than the front 4 defensive linemen, it is considered a "DOG". This is something that everyone needs to know for playcalling and in- game gameplanning/probing purposes. The reason being is that when you send in ONE extra rusher, a defense can still call any of the following coverages: Cover 1, 2, 3, And match up better against a formation or protection. Whenever a defense sends 2 or more players, then it becomes a "BLITZ" when a defense blitzes the only viable coverage is Cover 0. (No Safety help) And the "PREY" can easily identify the defense's intentions immediately. There are ways to override this with "zone blitzing" but ill explain that later in this write up.

In the 34, in order to even match up effectively against any formation you will have to "Blitz" meaning that now the defense has to bring 2 more rushers from somewhere.

This puts the "PREY" at a discomfort level and on the same playing field as the defense. Why? Because in Football the offense always has the upper hand because they already know where the ball is going during pre snap. The defense is at a disadvantage, because they either have to guess where the ball is going or try to force the ball somewhere else other than the place where the offense intented.

The 3-4 serves as a phsycological tool agaisnt the "Prey" (QB) or in this instance an online/offline opponent. In the 43 defense 9 times outta ten either safety or cornerback(s) can tip off to the QB where that extra rusher is coming from, by simply just adjusting their position or stance. Especially with motion and shifting.

While in the 3-4 the defensive backs if not warranted dont have to adjust because of the 4 Linebackers that can interchange assignments on the fly depending on the defensive scheme or play. Therefore putting the QB in an uncomfortable position under center. and at least adding seconds the QB stays in the pocket.


Personnell[


The personnell, or as i like to call my front "7" defensive players..."HUNTERS" needed to successfully run this type of defense is way different than the 43
The 34 formation requires 3 big huge beefy defensive linemen. Its not like the 43 that generally requires a mixture of strenght, size and speed. All that matters for defensive linemen in the 34 is that they are BIG and STRONG.( 310-320 lbs for DE's and 330-350lbs for NT's) They reason being, that these guys only job in the 34 is to take up as much space as they can, occupy the offensive line, and open up gaps so the linebackers can attack. Its the same concept as with the offensive line opening running lanes for the running back.
Also very different from the 43, the defensive linemen's target is not the QB. They dont attack the ball, they instead clogg lanes to prevent the ball from penetrating thru the gaps.

The Linebackers, are bigger in the 3-4 because of the constant battling they will have to do against offensive linemen, Tight ends and fullbacks.
The Outside Linebackers also bigger than 43 OLB's (Around 260-270 lbs) are usaully the best pass rushers and the fastest of all 4 linebackers. Also due to the fact that they have to be able to drop in coverage.

Inside Linebackers, are the same as Middle Backers except that, they are stronger and beefier (250-260 lbs). they will be doing alot fighting around with Guards and Fullbacks.

[daone]

GAP ASSIGNMENTS

I wont go into details about techniques (the position where the defensive lineman lines up against the offensive line, and rush angle/lane) when i try to explain the gap assinment of the 34. IMO Madden doesnt use them or yet......

GAP assingments are crucial to any defense in any level of football including Madden! When Tiburon added "Random Gap blitzing and Suction blocking"
they took something away from the game of football. Its like taking away the jump shot in basketball. Yes this is that important.

Just because you see a 43,34,46 etc...used by many teams, it doesnt mean that they all attack or defend the same way. Ill get into this later if anyone wants the info.

Generally the 43 is a "ONE GAP" defense, every defensive player in the front seven is assigned "1" gap. Where as in the 34, everyone in the front seven are assigned two.

In the 43, regardless of where the ball is going, the front 7 usually the defensive line, attack that gap. The linebackers either

a) protect their gap or/and

b) Attack their assigned gap or strafe to the ball.

But in a perfect world, if the front seven attack each gap, all running lanes and passing lanes would be closed. One way (which is not entirely true due to complex schemes) to tell if a defense is in a one gap front, is by looking at how they lineup. (Between 2 offensive linemen directly in/across the gap)

Now in the 34, the front seven play a two gap system (generaly) The Defensive linemen are lined up directly across a lineman (Usually the Tackles and Center) and are responsible for 2 gaps opposed to 1 like in the 43.

Theyre JOB is to attack the lineman across from him directly then, choose a gap to defend or clogg. (Again, this is not always true due to more complex schemes). Depending on where the ball is headed. For the linebackers, all they do is attack the GAP that the defensive lineman left open, and/or strafe to the ball.

my set up

my base set up, from every 3-4 formation (normal, over, under, solid), when the run is a threat, is to spread the Dline (L1 + up on the Dpad), loop the Dline (L1 + up on the right analog stick), and pinch the LBs (R1 + down on the Dpad). no matter what play i call, when the run is a threat, i set my defese up like this. doing this seems to hide the LBs a little better, allowing them to either shoot gaps blowing up the run, or simply just clogging the hell out of the middle, leaving the RB no room to run. tackling with the saftey is a must on alot of plays, as this set up will usually allow you to run free and make plays. against passing downs (2nd and long, or 3rd and not short), i usually just spread and loop my line, but i wont pinch. by not shifting my line, it isnt obvious where the pressure is going to come from. more than anything else i can tell you, i think this setup is the most important. most guys say they have a problem stopping the run from the 3-4, overall i dont with this setup. i will conceede that the 3-4 defense is not going to be very successful trying to stop 3rd and inches type plays. the 3-4 D will give up yards on the run, you just hope its 2 here, 3 there, etc.

3. the formations (normal, under, over, solid)

i use all of them. normal has the most amount of plays in it, but all are nice, and if just going by stock plays, all have some different ones. i use the 3-4 book.

anyway, the only real formation i use for a specific purpose is the 3-4 under. this is my stretch run killer (from strong i, or i normal). pick 2 man under (and do my normal setup of spread/loop line, pinch LBs), bump each WR, move the SS a little to the right of your screen (a little outside the TE), and control the FS. this setup will either allow the MLB to shoot the gap and crush the RB in the backfield or shoot the gap and force the RB outside way too fast. and almost everytime, the FS you are controlling will go unblocked, allowing you to run to the right of your screen to make the tackle for a short gain or even a loss. i used to get killed by guys who made a living off this run play, cuz using 3-4 normal gets the FS you are controlling blocked, instead of freeing him up. once i figured this out, i was able to hold guys in check who abused and overused this play.

4. my philosophy

blitz atleast 1 LB on most plays, try to mix things up, and bend but dont break. ill take small chances to get sacks, but i usually set up coverage behind it to avoid giving up huge chunks of yards. it sounds basic, but it works.

[daone]

5. playing man D

when playing man D, i like to choose the double X/Z/TE plays as my base D. these have an OLB blitzing (i know the 3-4 normal has one where the OLB is on a delayed blitz, thats cool), one saftey in a deep zone, and the other doubling a WR or TE. what i tend to do when using these plays is to shift the coverage of the saftey already in a deep zone over to his side. so if the FS is in a deep zone in the middle of the field, ill press triangle + left on the R analog stick, to shift his coverage onto his side of the field. then ill take the SS, who is doubling the WR or TE, and put him in a deep zone. **NOTE** you HAVE to control the saftey you put into the deep zone. he will not cover the deep ball very well if you dont. its like he lets the WR run right by, even though he shows he is in a deep zone. let the CPU control the saftey you shifted over, and you control the one you put into a deep zone. just so your opponent cant key on your blitz side based on who you control, leave the saftey doubling the WR every now and then (be sure to freeze the D when coming out of the huddle, so the saftey doesnt run over there, or click on him real quick, move him a step, then click off). i just keep switching blitz sides. alot of the time, if the offense doesnt have RB blocking to that side, or a TE blocking on that side, the blitzing LB gets to the QB fairly quickly. i dont claim that this will create insane heat, but its usually enough to force throws, and you still have great coverage over top.

playing 3-4 2 man under: this has MLB #2 in a hook zone. you can either blitz him, use him to double someone, or put him into a zone where the offense keeps throwing. i like to flip the play, and put him into a purple zone, to keep the TE corner routes on lock.

other man blitzing plays i love: OLB dogs fire (both OLBs blitzing), MLB crossfire and storm blitz (both MLBs blitzing), trio whip man (ILB and OLB of the same side blitzing around the outside), and strong and weak blitz (ILB blitzing middle, OLB blitzing outside). all of these are cover 1 blitzes. to protect yourself deep, and to still cover everyone, put your best/fastest CB on their worst WR and dont bump. if your CBs suck, or their WRs are all studs, this can be tricky. otherwise, and especially in longer downs, just put the other saftey in a deep zone (shift the other one over first, then put that saftey in a deep zone and control him). sure, you give up man coverage on a RB/FB/TE, but they arent the biggest threats at that time. mixing in these plays, especially after youve played man D with 2 safties over the top, will usually suprise your opponent. dont abuse these cover 1 plays, cuz a good player will kill you if you do. again, none of these are nanos, and all can be picked up with the right blocking scheme, the idea here is that if you mix this in with 2 man under, your opponent will usually just keep a RB/FB in to block on whatever side they thing the LB is blitzing from. if you bring 2 LBs, you can usually get more pressure on the QB than they though was coming.

playing zone

the 2 keys to playing an effective zone is: 1. show the offense one thing, then do something else. 2. put defenders where the offense likes to throw, blitz the rest. alot of times ill pick a zone play, then just find a LB (or 2 or 3) to blitz, based on where my opponent likes to throw the ball. most people look to the flats when they see a blitz coming, so the flats are usually my number 1 priority. ill take cover 2 zone, and blitz 1 or both OLBs. cover 3 and blitz the LOLB (on the right of your screen), and put the SS in a flat zone, or blitz the FS. cover 4 zone and blitz any combo of LBs (both MLBs, both OLBs, one MLB and one OLB, etc), and if its a shorter yardage situation, make sure i still have flat coverage (either from the LBs not blitzing, or from the safteys). the idea here is to confuse, forcing the D to hold on to the ball. most people are only used to generic zone blitzes, that leave the flats open. when they arent, that extra second they hold on to the ball and say WTF can be enough to get you the sack. once i blitz a few times, i then go all out zone, to throw in another wrinkle.

straight zone plays i like: cover 2, cover 3, cover 4. all of these can be modified to bring some pressure.

[daone]

some zone blitz plays i like:

1. LB Storm 3 (3-4 normal). this play can be ran as it is, but i usually put the CB on the left into a flat zone, and put the LOLB (on your right) into a flat zone, or leave him as it is to protect against a quick hitter to the TE. the 3 other blitzing LBs should get to the QB pretty quickly. i use the SS, and roam the middle.

2. weak storm roll. i usually put the MLB #1 (on your right) into a flat zone. then i usually blitz the CB on your left, and put the other MLB into a flat zone. so you have cover 3, a purple zone on the right of the screen, flat coverage on both sides, and you control the SS and police the middle. this can get some pressure with the OLB blitzing, and the CB flying in from the side will cause some major disruptions to the offense. this D has its holes, but only if the offense does 1 thing, overload the middle. like i said, alot of guys look to the flats with their TE/RBs, which you have covered.

3. trio sky zone. get some flat coverage (if it isnt 3rd and long), by putting the a combo of the ILBs/FS/ROLB (the one who isnt blitzing) into the flats). flip it to get the purple zone on the TE side, if the O likes corner routes alot.

4. crash blitz. some LBs blitz while your Dline drops back, and a cb comes in. throw in some flat zones if needed.

as you see, you can do just about anything, no matter what the play. you can also use engage 8, and put guys in coverage the way that you want them. all of that is effective. there are a bunch of other effective zone plays, just make sure to zone guys where the O likes to throw.

7. playing a man/zone combo

i mix these in once ive shown what i like to do with all man or all zone coverage. plays i like:

1. exchange (only use if you have a somewhat fast DE): this play has your LE (on the right of your screen) manned up on the TE/FB/RB. the 2 MLBs are in hook zones, one OLB is blitzing, the other is in man. both CBs are in man, with 2 safties deep. i love this play, cuz no one expects the DE to man up on someone. i have gotten picks with my DE, its pretty awesome.

2. CB Dogs Blitz: both CBs are blitzing. i put each OLB in a flat zone (sometimes just one). you gotta watch the deep ball here. control the saftey to the side of the fasest/best/biggest threat. there isnt any immediate pressure, but the CBs will get there if the ball is held on to.

3. zone-man blitz: i run it just how it is. a FB or RB is left uncovered, so you can put a DE to a flat zone on side if you feel like it. good for some confusion.

4. FS blitz. i usually move the FS down in the box. you have people manned up underneath, and cover 3 deep. brings pressure from an unexpected place.

8. bringing it all together

on their own, none of these plays are that special. none will hit the QB on their 2nd step of their drop, nor will cover every area of the field. the idea is to just keep them guessing about which, if any, of your LBs/CBs/Safties are blitzing. since you have guys who can come around the outside, and you have spread your line, the O really has to have backs/TEs blocking to that side, or the blitz will get there. once they look to block the outside, blitz the MLBs, etc. you are looking to try to get pressure, are willing to give up some gains, but arent willing to give up the big play. you are hoping, before they score a TD, you can get a sack to force a FG (or take them out of range), get a INT, a fumble, etc. make them work for their points. if they beat you, they beat you, but atleast you didnt just give it to them. seeing as how i play like this, i dont use cover 0 blitzes. no matter what, ill have atleast 1, but preferably 2 safties deep at all times.

9. Other plays i like from the 3-4 book

2-4-5 2 man under. spread dline (but dont loop), spread LBs, and blitz the ROLB (on the left), to take away that weird stunt. gets good pressure from the outside.

dime 3-2-6 2 deep LB blitz. spread and loop line, shift the blitzing LB to his side. if you notice, his blitz angle wont change (usually when moving a blitzer his blitz agle shifts towards teh QB, and the blitzer just runs into the Oline), he runs straight down after the snap and around the Oline.

anything from the 1-1-5s. so many ways to blitz Lbs and safties.

[daone]

Blittzing from the 3-4

To me the biggest advantage to the 3-4 is how you can generate what would be 5 man pressure out of any other set with just 4 men, and with 5 man pressure the heat is insane.

So I labbed for about an hour last night and found this about the 3-4 YOU CAN GET INSANE GAP HEAT EASILY

A gap:
Here the idea is for the DEs to man up with the Gs and the NT to take the C. Then both A gaps will be open. Infuriately the Ts can suck out the DEs putting the blitzing ILBs on a G. This nullifies the pass rush. GOD DAMN SUCTION BLOCKING
Yet, there are ways to combat this. I found three.
1.) Ignore it, use the right formation, and out of the right formation the Ts only pull the DEs about 25% of the time.
2.) Blitz an OLB; he will engage the T eliminating the possibility of the T pulling the DE.
3.) Put an OLB in flat coverage. This will cause the T to wait to block him.

!NOTE! While setting up A gap heat you want the ILB/ILBS lined up right between the NT and DE. It should look like he is slapping there asses. You also want to shift the LBs until you find the straightest blitzing angles. !NOTE!

B Gap:
With line shifts the DE and NT will engage the T and G leaving B gap wide open. The only way this can be stopped is by suction blocking, when the C pulls out the NT. This leaves your LB stuck with the G. However this can be counteracted 3 ways to bring a sick blitz:
1.) Ignore it, use the right formation, out of the right formation the C only pulls the NT about 25% of the time.
2.) Blitz an ILB this is the best way. Here the C has to choose who to block the NT or the ILB if he blocks the NT the ILB gets through as the other DE holds up a guard. Yet if the C blocks the ILB the OLB or other ILB shoots through.
3.) Put an ILB in the flat zone (light blue zone) on the blitz OLBs side and put him in between the NT and DE, this should place him right in front of the C, now bring him down really far. What will happen is the C will stay in place to block the ILB who will then run out to the flats. This leaves the B gap wide open.

!NOTE! While setting up B gap heat you want to use the LB with the best blitzing angle, either slightly inwards or straight down. Then place the OLB or ILB right over the T he should be on a line with the DL. !NOTE!

C gap:
This is the easiest heat to get. However a blocking back can stop this and nothing can be done. However most OLBs or DEs will plow over a HB or FB, and suction blocking doesn’t hurt you. The only problem here is random blitz angles. These can’t be stopped here unlike with A and B gap heat. This is also easy heat to set up, there are 2 ways.
1.) Shift and crash the line towards the side you want to bring the heat from. Then slide the LBs the OPPOSITE WAY, and blitz the OLB on the side you want to blitz. If he is place right over the DE this blitz is more effective, but it is not necessary.
2.) Spread the line, crash it out, spread the LBs and blitz both OLBs, this is really effective, until they run it up the gut.

Examples:

A Gap Heat:
3-4 Solid
Pinch DL
Crash DL Out
Blitz LILB
Optional: Blitz RILB also, or Blitz OLBs, or Put OLBS in flats

B Gap Heat:

3-4 Normal FLIPPED:
(for normal not flipped just do the opposite)
Slide Line Right
Slide LBs Left
Blitz the ROLB between the NT and the LDE
Optional: Blitz the RILB onto the C or put him in a flat zone

3-4 Under FLIPPED:
(for under not flipped just do the opposite)
Slide line Left
Pinch LBS
Blitz the LILB
Optional: Optional: Blitz the RILB onto the C or put him in a flat zone

3-4 Solid:
Slide the Line left
Crash the Line Out
LILB Blitz
Optional: Optional: Blitz the RILB onto the C or put him in a flat zone

C Gap Heat:

3-4 Normal
Spread the Line
Crash the Line Out
Blitz the LOLB and ROLB

3-4 Normal
(flip for left side heat)
Shift the line Right
Crash the line Right
Shift the LBs left
Blitz the ROLB
Optional Blitz RILB or put him in a flat zone

3-4 Solid
(flip for left side heat)
Shift the line Right
Crash the line Right
Shift the LBs left
Blitz the ROLB
Optional Blitz RILB or put him in a flat zone

[daone]

thanks to

-Calvinandhobbes Akrid and FeardaArm BOOBOOSD MelloDrama Sully907 ahr19 Virtruvious Bearfanmike20 vicious2500 wtomasino Titans 4 LIFE damonstrous's Avatar
damonstrous JTMoney dwmoss JTsteez ahr19 cew6225

[MelloDrama]

I would like to add if I may:

The best thing about the 3-4 is the flexability to really disguise the coverage.

Here are some things that work well for me.

If your opponent knows adjusts to you bringing heat from the edges bring it through the middel.

Play: 3-4 normal MLB Storm Blitz
Scheme: Pinch Lb's and Pinch Dline, then Dline playmaker up. Manual safety.
Result: More time you'll get a ILB shooting right through the middle. Very effective.


Play: 3-4 normal- LB storm
Scheme: Pinch LB's, You can also pinch Dline, then playmaker up or Spread line then loop. Do both because of the random blitz angles.

Benefits: With this blitz you can predict where you want the heat to come from. Most guys with 3-4 focus on bringing it from the outside. I have been trying to bring it down the middle. If you Pinch LBs and Dline like I mentioned above you'll 'alot' of times get a free rusher straight down the middle. The thing I have been doing is adjusting the same play differently because of the random blitz angles. So with the LB strom sometimes I'll spread dline and contain the edge. Other times I'll pinch Dline and leave my LB's. Just mix it up for maximum results

Play: Strong & Weak Blitz's
No need to break it down these are good ways to bring heat. I think everyone knows this.

Play: Cover 2 sink (this is a redzone play for the most part)
Scheme: shift line to the blitzing LB side and crash the same way. Playmaker D back. You'll be surprised the heat you can get with this and your secondary is looking for the pick.

Play: 3-4 under -pinch
Scheme: Pinch LB's. Manual safety. Works best in 2 WR formations. This blitz has ZERO coverage so what you do first freeze D. Then you want to control the safety thats manning the Full back. WHY? because who cares if he sneaks out to the flats. He's a slow FB anyways your D will swarm him. Now you have a manual safety playing the deep ball in zero coverage to guard long but with this blitz it's "nano like" meaning he won't have much time at all. Especiall not enough time to go long.

Play: clamp double go- 3-4 solid
Scheme: Pinch LB's. All your heat is going to come from the left side so you can playmaker the opposite side OLB to play the flats. This blitz doesn't play around, it's mean you'll get heat.

Play: crash blitz 3-4 normal
Scheme: whatever you want really but manual the safety because the run is liable up the middle. This is also good to swarm Vick and McNabb users. Manual safety with all 3-4 plays is a must. This is also very good for P.A's as well.

NON 3-4 plays that also work effective:


Nickle 1-1-5: Never use this against the run but it can be very good against the pass. Use it sparingly.

Play: Inside zone blitz
Scheme: shift the heat side to his weak side. (away from TE's and extra blockers). Playmaker your 2 corner deep. Manual safety and watch deep.

Now you mix in your play calling using this formation


For 3 or 4 wide and only use it if your opponents is calling addition blockers to stop the outside rush.

Play: dime 3-2-6- 2 deep LB blitz
Scheme: This is for generating heat up the middle for defending against 3 and 4 wide set's only. Pinch Dline then playmaker dline up, then pinch LB's, playmaker blitz LB's. Now this will give you a chance of either setting a lineman free or shooting a LB's free down the middle. You have 2 safety's deep so no worry of deep lob here. BnR is a must

Play: nickle normal - flat four
Scheme: spread Dline, pinch Lbs, playmaker Lb's to blitz. Manual safety and cheat him down because the middle is exposed. Cheat preferably to the TE side. Heat comes down the middle more often then not flats are covered. Great play if you good at manual safety work. BnR or play off it's up to you


Note: manualing your safety is a must in all these situations because you have to compensate for the deep lob and to pick up the "garbage" if a play get's broken. You can BnR or play off it's up to you.

Also most of these are for 2 and 3 WR sets. If you guys would like me to break down some plays for 3... 4 and 5 wide I can do that as well.

I just thought after you guys were so generous telling me tricks and scheme's it's only right that I tell you guys things that work for me. I try to find things that don't take allot of time before the snap. Just a shift here and a playmaker there and your ready to roll.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

[oouie433]

good stuff daone,

keep it coming....