01-05-2017, 05:16 AM
Our 2 Super Bowl trips, Bengals played a 3-4 defense....I see many play-off teams in a 3-4....I see many good college teams who do not play a 4-3.....Could Atkins be a Tim Krumrie type in a 3-4 ?.....We have Dunlap and I guess MJ at DE....This does not mean we only can rush 3 players, far from it....We do not have enough bodies or talent at LB to play a 3-4. We could not if we wanted to. With Free Agency and a draft coming of some very skilled Alabama linebackers early, we could man up at linebacker. The Steelers own the Bengals and they have played a 3-4 for years thanks to Pro Bowl LeBeau defenses. .....I look back to our Super Bowls and see a great offensive line and a 3-4 defense that would change the blitzing man and keep offenses confused. ....I would love if we had the ability to play 4-3 and 3-4, mix it up, but lets face it, we just never have enough players or talent at linebacker to consider it......I thought the 1980s Browns and Raiders had great 4 linebacker defenses. They made throwing in front of the linebackers foolish and impossible. More and more teams are going to these screen passes, often behind line of scrimmage. How many times do Bengals throw short of first down on third down ? A lot. A good 3-4 would destroy these passes in front of the linebackers, these plays do not work. Often they go for a loss of yards. A good 3-4 forces the QB to go over the linebackers, but if you have good defensive backs, this is in your defenses favor. Anything short the 3-4 eats alive and anything deep the DB's are all over. Our Bengals D coaches in Super Bowl years mixed up the blitzes to keep heat on the QB.......The last time we won a play-off game, we were in a 3-4 defense.....Of course 4, 5, 6 men start off close to the line and the QB has no idea who is coming.
I know over the years there have been other threads on 3-4 defense...Going into the off season before player moves, lets discuss it again. Teams are winning with it. Steelers own us with it. Some on here may remember the Browns tough 3-4 in 1980's decade that gave us fits. We went to 2 Super Bowls in a 3-4 defense. Our last play-off win was in a 3-4 defense. Now Montana to Rice and Taylor could go deep, and that beat us, just barely. Otherwise there are few teams that can go deep like that and the 3-4 just blows up all the rinky dink short yardage stuff and often gets turnovers on these. If you have good cover corners as we had in Riley and Breeden, you are talking Super Bowl.
Now we have Atkins and you want to get the most out of this possible Hall of Fame Bengal. I would like to see us in summer and preseason to have the players to try it and see. These guys know the 4-3. Add some 3-4 packages and see how it works. It could work great. If not, these guys know the 4-3. Atkins, Dunlap, MJ could be better than Edwards, Browner, Whitley that went Super Bowl or Krumrie, McClendon, Show who went Super Bowl. ....but the key is getting the most out of Atkins. If he doesn't fit well in a 3-4, then it is no good. It is something to try in practices, and these guys know the 4-3 packages if the 3-4 just doesn't work with Atkins in practice. Teams have multiple offensive formations and the defenses should have multiple defense ability as well. A LB that can be a tweener, an edge rusher and a linebacker like The Mad Stork or Harrison would be a Monster Man. The ability to go from 3-4 to 4-3 in a second. That would be awesome. We are a good defense, but we could be better. If we could really mix up the packages, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 3-3-5, all forms of defenses, the ability to defend any offense, stop any foe. I myself like the 3-3 front 7 with a monster man who reads the offense before the snap. The Mad Stork was great at that and offenses had no idea where he would be because defensive coach had no idea where he would be. The Joker in the deck that is in the right place at the right time more often than not. Such a player has to be able to line up at D line or LB. Too bad, David Pollack had the ability to be this type player before his terrible neck injury. ....Alabama has some interesting first round linebackers. It would take an all around athlete with a high motor and the mentality to read the offense as a QB reads a defense. .....Of course if we had Burfict and 3 other linebackers and blitzed a different one each time, that is how we went to 2 Super Bowls.
I know over the years there have been other threads on 3-4 defense...Going into the off season before player moves, lets discuss it again. Teams are winning with it. Steelers own us with it. Some on here may remember the Browns tough 3-4 in 1980's decade that gave us fits. We went to 2 Super Bowls in a 3-4 defense. Our last play-off win was in a 3-4 defense. Now Montana to Rice and Taylor could go deep, and that beat us, just barely. Otherwise there are few teams that can go deep like that and the 3-4 just blows up all the rinky dink short yardage stuff and often gets turnovers on these. If you have good cover corners as we had in Riley and Breeden, you are talking Super Bowl.
Now we have Atkins and you want to get the most out of this possible Hall of Fame Bengal. I would like to see us in summer and preseason to have the players to try it and see. These guys know the 4-3. Add some 3-4 packages and see how it works. It could work great. If not, these guys know the 4-3. Atkins, Dunlap, MJ could be better than Edwards, Browner, Whitley that went Super Bowl or Krumrie, McClendon, Show who went Super Bowl. ....but the key is getting the most out of Atkins. If he doesn't fit well in a 3-4, then it is no good. It is something to try in practices, and these guys know the 4-3 packages if the 3-4 just doesn't work with Atkins in practice. Teams have multiple offensive formations and the defenses should have multiple defense ability as well. A LB that can be a tweener, an edge rusher and a linebacker like The Mad Stork or Harrison would be a Monster Man. The ability to go from 3-4 to 4-3 in a second. That would be awesome. We are a good defense, but we could be better. If we could really mix up the packages, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 3-3-5, all forms of defenses, the ability to defend any offense, stop any foe. I myself like the 3-3 front 7 with a monster man who reads the offense before the snap. The Mad Stork was great at that and offenses had no idea where he would be because defensive coach had no idea where he would be. The Joker in the deck that is in the right place at the right time more often than not. Such a player has to be able to line up at D line or LB. Too bad, David Pollack had the ability to be this type player before his terrible neck injury. ....Alabama has some interesting first round linebackers. It would take an all around athlete with a high motor and the mentality to read the offense as a QB reads a defense. .....Of course if we had Burfict and 3 other linebackers and blitzed a different one each time, that is how we went to 2 Super Bowls.
1968 Bengal Fan
