Long gone are the days of three yards & a cloud of dust. So why do we need multiple 300 pound pluggers in the middle of our defense line? Teams are becoming more & more spread out offensively and more & more determined to play in space. Top level football isn’t played in a phone booth anymore (sorry Michigan, but your 1890-1920 glory days are not coming back).
The result of this offensive revolution is many top level programs have already abandoned traditional 4 DL alignments in favor of 3 DL (quick examples: CFP Champion Alabama Crimson Tide & Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers) both of these teams use 3 DL as their base alignment, not 4. And many programs are even trimming down to only 2 traditional DL for significant snaps!
Swapping out big lumbering pluggers along the defensive line in favor or fleet-footed athletes who can operate in space has many pros with relatively few cons.
I would prefer to have 2 bullet/hybrid style defenders on the field instead of one or none (Craig Young=Prototype, Ronnie Hickman=Safety-ish, K’Vaughn Pope=LB-ish, Ryan Watts=Big Corner-ish, Cam Martinez=Slot Corner-ish, Lathan Ransom=DB-ish, Kourt Williams=Hybrid....) these are just a few examples of potential playmakers we could deploy onto the field if we remove a defensive tackle in an effort to play our Best 11.
Versatile defenders in the 200-250LB range that can run, can hit, can cover, can blow up plays in the backfield or make plays deep in the secondary. Athletic guys comfortable performing a wide range of tasks at all 3 levels of the defense.
This is why I advocate so hard for more Hybrids over DT’s, because defensive tackles are very limited in their range & scope. DT’s are predictable defenders and much easier for offenses to gameplan & account for both pre-snap & post-snap. (a guy who runs a 5.5 forty can’t surprise you and effectively show up in spots the way a guy who runs a 4.5 can). DT’s aren’t going to flash into a robber role as a FS on one play, then come screaming off the edge as free attacker on the QB the next. Hybrid/Bullet players can do all of the above and give OC’s/QB’s nightmares as a Rover.
The bullets & hybrids can play zone or man-to-man, they can blitz up the middle or come off the edge, they can come down hard in run support, they can buzz into the flats, they can hook over the middle or spy the QB... in short, Hybrid/Bullet players are capable of doing almost anything on any given Down & Distance. Most importantly, because of their versatility, hybrid defenders are nearly impossible for OC’s & QB’s to pigeon-hole or place into a box, whereas DT’s and their functionality is incredibly predictable.
4-3 defense is caveman ball. OSU is finally evolving to the next most basic step (4-2-5) but this still isn’t cutting edge or ahead of the curve (maybe it was 5-10 yrs ago). But this alignment still doesn’t address the core issue: a predictable Front-4 & a Back-7. Resulting in 4 easily identifiable pass rushers on most passing downs (anyone else blitzing is an outlier that is easily recognized/picked up). Whereas with 3 DL you still bring 4 rushers on most passing downs, yet you’re automatically more unpredictable & more flexible both upfront & on the backend. Blitz & coverage packages become limitless and even simple systems can confuse offenses because defender’s roles aren’t clearly telegraphed pre-snap. Every play begins with a bit of uncertainty for the offense because there are more defenders on the field who can do multiple things, in contrast to DT’s who can’t do much other than push up the middle & grapple with the OG & C.
Present day QB’s are so well trained on the prep circuit (7 on 7’s & summer camps) and OC’s have spent their lives in the film room dissecting defenses... I can’t think of simpler preparation for an offense than facing a traditional Front 4 & Back 7 defense.
Ohio State has the athletes to win the Big Ten playing a 4-3, 4-2-5, heck we can even run a 4-4 like we did at times last yr, smh. The Buckeyes have this luxury because we’ve lapped the rest of the Big10 in recruiting. It’s at the point where it really doesn’t matter what we do schematically, in conference, because our Jimmy’s & Joe’s are just that much better than their X’s & O’s.
But we need to be building ourselves to beat elite opponents in potential Playoff situations. And lining up with 4 traditional pass rushers from 4 traditional Defensive Line positions is not the answer. We need to have a Back 8 or even a Back 9 that morphs and changes pre-snap & post-snap. Flexibility where nearly anyone can rush & nearly anyone can cover, on any given play. That is the answer. Modern defense has evolved. You are not going to suffocate teams for 4 qtrs anymore. Havoc plays & turnovers are the way. These are created by causing confusion. Confusion comes from guys being where they aren’t expected to be and having the the athleticism to make a play when they are there. Modern Defense = Create confusion. Create turnovers. Get timely stops. Etc.
To summarize: 4 DL makes your defensive structure too predictable. Allowing OC’s & QB’s to comfortably account for everyone. Easy blocking assignments for the OL. 90% of the work is done pre-snap and 90% of the time we are telegraphing our intentions with our base defensive alignment. We seemingly announce: “Our guys upfront are too good for you to block, and our guys on our the backend are too good for you to beat.” Again this works 90% of the time against the inferior competition on our schedule... But sometimes you need that little bit extra..
By transitioning to 3 DL (or an even more modern look: 2 DL) Defenses are taking away the easy reads from offenses, and taking the initiative on the defensive side of ball to create confusion. Confusion in the Blocking Assignments, confusion in the coverage responsibilities, and playing an opportunistic style of football.
For the reasons mentioned above, I would like to see tOSU transition away from the traditional 4-man front. I’d prefer implementation of a modern defensive alignment replacing a DT with a versatile hybrid player.
