Jack Del Rio - Converting to 3-4

[Whatever]

(01-25-2019, 07:21 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Probably wont happen right away if JDR wants to go this route. Our LB corps is weak at best. Hard to go to a 3-4 unless you have precisely the right guys you believe can make it work, and these guys need to be workhorses. I see the strengths of the 3-4 as it can stop huge runs, and react to the pass. In addition to giving the backs, for a fraction of a second once the ball is snapped, to see what is developing and controlling the situation. I like the 3-4 because you can quickly switch it at the line to a 4-3 at the last second.

The 4-3 (IMO) is a more run stopping defensive approach and your hopes of getting to the QB. We have ran the 4-3 for years and although we have had success against the run, the last few years we have been eaten up by it. So, what do we do? When you run a 4-3 and have poor coverage with your safety's, you get a bad ranked D overall and abused frequently. It seems more difficult transitioning (on a play) from a 4-3 to a 3-4. 

If the hybrid can be figured out (which takes a lot of planning, execution and coaching) on this team, I see it as being a tool to escalate the Bengals D into a top 5, if not top 3 in the next 2-3yrs. But it cant happen right away with a defense that has been built around a 4-3 defense and the only defense that's been ran by Merv for all these years. To the best of my knowledge, he never veered from 4-3. D needs help finding themselves. I don't see flexibility right away here.

They've run some 3-3-5  nickel looks in the past with Geathers and later MJ as the "rush" LB.  They could probably incorporate some of that again with Lawson and/or Hubbard in the role.