Should we consider a 3-4 defence?

[kernowboy]

As more and more teams seem to be moving to a 3-4 defence, are the Bills going to miss the boat again like we were with going with the Tampa 2 after many teams had made the move? It seems a number of players in the draft are suited to the 3-4 and I was wondering how radical a change it would require the team to make to rearrange the roster?

NT - could Williams play this position? At over 300lbs he is bigger than Ratliff at the Cowboys, and about the size of Kelly Gregg of the Ravens who did well in the 3-4 alignment. Would Williams be handling any more in terms of a match-up than he currently does?

RE -if Stroud can play end, then he'll be looking to fight the double team of weakside guard and maybe occupy the left tackle

LE - we have Spencer Johnson who could play this position, dealing the the strongside tackle and tight end.

Key free agent signing would be MIKE WRIGHT of the Patriots with starting experience at both end and nose tackle

ILB - we have both Pozluzny and Mitchell here and with DiGiorgio and Lehman resigned would have decent depth covering both.

OLB - can Schobel play without his hand on the ground? I think he can and is capable of doing so - some fans have even suggested he could move into the LBs in a 4-3 alignment. On the otherside we look at a draft pick - Everette Brown, Brian Orakpo and Aaron Maybin around in R1, with Clint Simtim, Brandon Williams, Cody Brown available lower down in the draft to provide depth.

Despite the lack of a massive NT on the roster it does not seem to me to be that difficult to have a 3-4 defence. There are also several DE's available in the draft who could provide depth on the roster and the change would certainly give Fewell flexibility as the team could still shift to a 4-3

It also allows us to get rid of Ellison, Kelsay and Denney.

[bigbub2352]

Absolutly we should, if we had any kinda upper management, they would see the trend in pass rushers and athletes coming out of college is better suited for the 3-4, and the Cover 2 was a little fad we are trying to hold on to,
Also when u go out and draft Poz and sign Mitchell both are not Cover 2 LBers and u trade for Stroud who isnt a Cover 2 DT that says alot for our Pro Personnel director ROn Guy
The last 3 years now we have watched the talent on D go other places
best thing we could do right now is transition away form this lifeless bend but dont break crap and get some playmakers in here

[yordad]

We can consider it, but they ain't gonna do it.

[OpIv37]

Stroud's too big to play end in a 3-4.

Personnel wise, I just think we'd need too much. It would be another rebuild.

Plus, Jauron and Fewell are married to their system and will never change.

This is just another case of the Bills jumping the bandwagon too late. The West Coast offense, the 4-3 base, the 46, the Cover 2- the Bills always try to implement these systems after other teams are successful, and the teams that don't run them have figured them out. By the time the Bills implement a 3-4 and get it to a point where it's working, the rest of the league will have moved on and it will be ineffective.

[Mitchell55]

I posted a offseason that I got bashed for that had this.


This is the final Defensive DC

LE- Schobel
DT- Stroud
RE- Julius Peppers
LB- Mitchell
LB- Pos
LB- Maualuga
LB- Crow

[madness]

Only if we are British.

[bigbub2352]

Stroud's too big to play end in a 3-4.

Personnel wise, I just think we'd need too much. It would be another rebuild.

Plus, Jauron and Fewell are married to their system and will never change.

This is just another case of the Bills jumping the bandwagon too late. The West Coast offense, the 4-3 base, the 46, the Cover 2- the Bills always try to implement these systems after other teams are successful, and the teams that don't run them have figured them out. By the time the Bills implement a 3-4 and get it to a point where it's working, the rest of the league will have moved on and it will be ineffective.
Stroud would be a perfect NT in a 3-4
Spencer Johnson would be a perfect DE in the 3-4 as would Williams anything is better than a pathetic pussy D

[OpIv37]

Stroud would be a perfect NT in a 3-4
Spencer Johnson would be a perfect DE in the 3-4 as would Williams anything is better than a pathetic pussy D

Agreed on Stroud and Johnson. I'm not so sure about Williams.

The Biggest problem is that Schobel tips the scale at a towering 240. That's too small for a C2 DE and WAY too small for a 3-4 DE. We'd still need at least one solid DE.

[kernowboy]

Agreed on Stroud and Johnson. I'm not so sure about Williams.

The Biggest problem is that Schobel tips the scale at a towering 240. That's too small for a C2 DE and WAY too small for a 3-4 DE. We'd still need at least one solid DE.

Mike Wright, 6ft4 and 295lbs from the Patriots with experience at both End and Nose-Tackle

[ParanoidAndroid]

Can someone combine this with the last 5 or 6 threads about switching to a 3-4?
Also, the Bills might not have been the first to implement the 46, but that defense was pretty damn good.

[lmcshadow]

Can someone combine this with the last 5 or 6 threads about switching to a 3-4?
Also, the Bills might not have been the first to implement the 46, but that defense was pretty damn good.
Yea ...............what he said

[billogic99]

Well it sure wouldn't hurt the Bills chances to win considering we're the only team in the division who missed the bus.

[PECKERWOOD]

Absolutely NO.

Should we steer away from the smaller D-linemen crap? Absolutely.

There are plenty of 4-3 teams with huge linemen up front. We need to model our DL after what Jacksonville had with Spicer, Henderson, Stroud and whoever else they had at DE that year.

I don't want Schobel on our team, period. Nor do I think Kelsay should be allowed in a Bills uniform ever again. If we took Orakpo at #11 and traded up and took Tyson Jackson later in the 1st, I would be more than satisifed with that draft alone. We had one of the worst pass rushes of any team in the NFL last year.

[kernowboy]

I'm not sure that Jacksonville is an example of a good defence. And their Right End was in the Schobel weight range.

I hear all the complaints about Schobel apart from one thing - he is the one player on the DL that the opposition fear and have to take account of. He may have poor games, but is that him, or great planning by the opposition. He is the only lineman who regularly gets into the opposition backfield so he needs to be the first player down on the defensive team sheet until we can draft his replacement and give that replacement a little time to gain experience.

[DraftBoy]

No all we need to do is get out of the c2 mindset and become a more aggressive base 4-3 D. Like the Giants or Titans. Get 1 physical CB, a CF Free Safety, and bigger LB's, one pass rushing DE and one overall DE.

[yordad]

Well, I've always liked the 3-4 more.

[ParanoidAndroid]

No all we need to do is get out of the c2 mindset and become a more aggressive base 4-3 D. Like the Giants or Titans. Get 1 physical CB, a CF Free Safety, and bigger LB's, one pass rushing DE and one overall DE.

The CB you speak of is Leigh Bodden. The problem is, he was ordinary in Detroit's zone scheme. He's much better when he is pressing.

[DraftBoy]

The CB you speak of is Leigh Bodden. The problem is, he was ordinary in Detroit's zone scheme. He's much better when he is pressing.

There are a number of CB's who could do it. McKelvin is quite capable of playing press coverage. Nandi Asomugha may be the best in the business though at bump and run.