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Love this idea!! This was something I kicked around in a post a week or so ago. With so much depth at LB.. why not at least look at a 3-4 Defense. Bennett's even co-authored a book about coaching a defense with a 3-4. Not sure if it was done at KState or A$M.. but would be cool to see if it's successful at practice.


From Dallas Morning News..


One area of concern is yards after catch for SMU's receivers. Last season, Mustang receivers averaged 12 yards a catch, which is 1.7 yards better than the previous season. A lack of speed and the learning of a new offense didn't give SMU receivers the ability to make more plays after catching the ball to increase the numbers.

Briefly ...
Darrin Johnson and Tommy Poynter are battling for the starting job at left tackle. ... Mitch Enright (Southlake Carroll), who played guard in high school, is getting a look at center. ... Receiver Jay'Mond Cleveland (hamstring strain) returned to practice. Fellow receiver Reynaldo Pellerin is battling a slight strain of his hamstring and starting right guard Brad Kieschnick is practicing with a sprained right ankle. ... Coaches are experimenting with a 3-4 defense to compensate for the speed and depth at linebacker.

A new defense installed three weeks before the season starts? or is it something they have been experimenting with since last spring?

I'm sure it will be something they would run in different packages.. not full time but only situational. Why not have this teams best athletes on the field in certain situations?

Mexmustang wrote:A new defense installed three weeks before the season starts? or is it something they have been experimenting with since last spring?

Are you talking about the Mustangs or the Dallas Cowboys?

Just the DMN article. I would think it would be better written to substitute the word "compensate" for "take advantage of" our large number of quick linebackers. I just wonder how much we have "experimented" with this alignment previous to fall workouts?

I wasn't aware we had a large number of quick linebackers.....in fact wasn't our problem last year that whenever any of our linebackers got hurt suddenly we were in a heck of a situation because there wasn't anyone with any experience or anything behind the starter?

Maybe my error...with all the positives about improved linebacker and depth, I assumed that a 3-4 would need a number of linebackers, while other defenses depend upon more lineman...or is it just that we put more lineman off the line?

the problem is we may have LBs with great speed and LBs with great size and strength but none with the complete package of speed, size and strength-at least with the players expected to contribute the most. These are all the same guys who played on teams that went 3-20.

true.. but our LBs were hurt all year from the start. Carrington, Lee, R. Harris and Cleveland were all banged up.. hence McCrays playing time last year and Nnabuife's move from DB to LB.

NOW.. we have them all back and healthy.. and depth at a critical position. Why not rotate them into a 3-4 if it clicks for the coaches?? I'm not saying do it every down.. but when it warrants it, our LBs can swarm at a pace that a 4-3 might not give us. Especially if we're thin upfront on the Line.

Just my 2 cents..

I don't mind using 3-4 too much against spread offenses with quick-timed patterns, but we have enough trouble getting much pressure on quarterbacks and the 3-4 doesn't help much with that. Plus, I'd rather have a bunch of fresh, quick effective LBs than use them all at once risking injury and fatigue.

But what do I know, I'm just a girl.

My thought on the 3-4 is that we would suffer on the line more than at linebacker. In a 3-4, you need a big nose and big defensive ends. We have one big nose in Bonds. Who do you play at DE in the 3-4? That takes Rogers off the field, and my guess is you would have to play DTs at DE, players like Haywood and Delay.

As for the linebacker portion, I kind of like it, actually. One OLB would be McCray/Cleveland. Strong inside line backer play Lee/Carrington. Weak Inside Linebacker play Nnabuife/Harris (you can have smaller players there). And what I think would be the strongest point, at the other OLB, you play Muse/Standsubry.

Muse would be a great OLB in a 3-4 setup.

And you can get a good pass rush in a 3-4, because you basically blitz at least one linebacker every play. It unbalances the line and is harder to block.

But, like I said, my major concern would be on the line. We just don't have the depth at NG or size at end to play it well, and it would take one of our better players, Rogers, off the field.

well.. I see it more as an advantage. Muse, Bonds Delay upfront..
McCray, Carrington, Lee and Cleveland at LB..

Throw in Rodgers/Iremia-Stansbury at inside LB in certain situations..

So many options.. that's the beauty of the 3-4.

Muse ain't big enough to play DE in the 3-4.

But doesn't the 3-4 lend itself for blitz packages also?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. All the note in the paper said was that coaches were "experimenting" with the idea. Coach Bennett and Coach Gush have coached every kind of defense there is at one point or another. They're just looking at options. They have more quality players at linebacker than at any other position, and if they need to throw a different look out there, they will. They ran a few plays of the 3-4 last year, just like they ran a little 5-2 on occasion. They aren't going to abandon the 4-3. They're just looking to see what they've got to work with.