Sterling College's - Principles of the 3-4 Defense

Every coaching staff in America has to have a starting point when they put together an offensive or defensive scheme. Our defense staff at Sterling College is committed to four main principles. First of all, we are committed to having our best eleven football players on the field. Secondly, we want to position players where they will be able to make plays by being deceptive. Thirdly, we want to be assignment proof. And, finally, we want to minimize the ability of the offense to make big plays and their potential by involving eight players to stop the run game with the ability to play zone behind it.

The 3-4 defense allows us to get our best eleven players on the field at the same time. As with many small colleges today, we have a hard time recruiting the 6’2”, 265 lb. defensive tackle that can move well enough to run a 40 front. However, we can get a number of 6’0”, 190 lb. kids that do move well. Instead of having to play our fifteenth or sixteenth best football player while our tenth or eleventh best is on the sideline, we can now play four safety-type players that make us more athletic and able to run to the ball better.

Diagram 1.

Now that we are faster and more athletic, our chances of making a big play have increased. The downside to this is the fact that we are also smaller. The 3-4 allows us to counter this by being deceptive. With our base front, (See Diagram 1) we can slant two ways with our down linemen and bring any combination of our four linebackers any time we choose. We do not have to sit back and wait to see what the offense is doing. We do not want to react to an offense. We want to make offenses spend extra time in practice to prepare for us. It is not every week that a team sees a defense like ours and so it requires more preparation to play us.

Diagram 2.

The more “assignment proof” that a player is, the faster he will react and play. We want our players to react to what is happening on the field. If a player has to think about a technique or an assignment during a play, he will not be able to play fast. This is why we feel that practicing our assignments and technique is essential to the success of our defense. We do not want our practice time to be spent on eight different offensive formations and different personnel groups. The 3-4 allows us to line up in the same place every down and formation that we see. The only players that have to recognize formations are our outside linebackers and safeties. Everyone else aligns in the same place every time. (See Diagrams
2 and 3).

Diagram 3.

The reason that I personally like the 3-4 defense is that it allows you to involve eight players against the run without having to play man-to-man in the secondary. This helps us to stop the run with our guys up front and limits the offense’s potential of the big play. We can be aggressive with our front seven without taking risks in the secondary. Diagrams 4 and 5 show our plant package with a “Mike” or “Will” blitz and our cover 3 behind it. Notice how we are able to actually get eight men involved against the run and still be a zone team in the secondary. We can bring two and sometimes three linebackers depending on the offensive personnel group that is in the
game and still play some type of zone coverage
behind it.

Diagram 4.

We stay “gap sound” with this package which means that there really is no bad blitz, and, if the play is away from the blitz, the defense is still sound. Diagram 6 shows both of our outside linebackers are coming so we like to run a cover two with this blitz. Again, we are “gap sound” against the run and can switch up our coverage to keep the offense off balanced. Obviously, we need to be good at disguising our calls so we can stay deceptive.

The success and failure of these four principles all hinge upon how well we run to the football. This is the one thing that we hang our hat on as a defense. We practice and preach pursuit every day in one form or another. If we pursue, as is the fact with any defense, we will be more likely to be successful. If we don't we will really struggle.

The 3-4 allows our players to play aggressive and free. In playing this way they are able to make more big plays. Defensive Coordinators can get creative with their calls and blitzes without getting into a guessing game with the offense. This allows your playmakers to go out and make plays. Our defensive players love this defense. They have fun practicing and have had success playing it.

Diagram 5.

Diagram 6.

About the author Chuck Lambert Chuck Lambert just completed his first season as defensive coordinator at Sterling College. Previously, Lambert coached at Trinity International University and was head coach at Lockwood High School (MO) for five years. A native of Smith Center, Kansas, he also played at Trinity International and has a degree in Elementary Education. He can be reached at clambert@sterling.edu.

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