Would any coaches be willing to offer advice on the 3-4 defense? (Pros and Cons)

coach, 1st I am "new" to this engine however I have used the 3-4 in 2 versions of the engine. The best way to find out certain aspects is to try different settings and see what the outcome is. With that in mind I would offer a couple of basic points.

Pro-

-3/4 can really turn into any defense based upon line/cover settings. You can really run anything from a 5-2 to a hybrid nickel/dime depending on your LB's traits
-based upon talent and settings it appears the 3-4 can be used against all offensive sets
-only requires 5-6 DL

Con-

-It is ran by many coaches so LB talent can get expensive in recruiting. When I ran it in 2.0 DL were still higher priority for many coaches and cheap LB talent was everywhere.
-you really need different types of LB with the correct attributes. i.e. cover LB, middle LB, and to some extent pass rusher

You need to make sure your local recruit distribution matches the 3-4.
In my opinion you need to carry at least 8 lb's to run an effective 3-4.

I agree with dukelegend. I've just come back from a hiatus, but I have used the 3-4 exclusively in this engine. Its really all about the talent you have and what you can acquire. I still think that LBs are cheaper (more plentiful) than DLs. And if you have the right LBs you don't have to run a nickel/dime so you can avoid having to keep a bunch of pricey DBs on your squad as well. The LBs are what give you the flexibility.

You will have to experiment with various line/cover/blitz settings. IMO you can truly think of the defense in true football terms (its not exact...but easier to think of in true football terms than the offense is).

What's up Harris? Glad to see you back. Come on back to the SIAC my man.

I converted to the 3-4 about 12 seasons ago have used it exclusively ever since. In the northeast quality LB's are abundant and DL's seem to be at a premium when it comes to recruiting. I depend heavily on LB's in coverage situations and have had great success defending the pass vs. Trips as well as Shotgun formations by dropping all four LB's into coverage, giving me 3 down linemen and 8 defenders in coverage. The key to running the 3-4 is speed at the LB' position, particularly the outside LB as well as speed at Safety and CB. I use 5 different defensive alignments and I do this by varying the coverage of the linebackers. For example vs. a heavy run I will put 3 and sometimes 4 LB's on the line giving me essentially a six or seven man front. My experience with this defense is "blitzing" is a detriment and I NEVER blitz. I have experimented with the blitz and have found that for I got burned more often when I applied pressure. Also, for the most part I have my "D" in a medium cover alignment. I hope this helps and feel free to site mail me for further dialogue.

One more thing. I have converted Linebackers to Defensive linemen in the past with some success as well. My best pass rusher is a DL that I recruited as a LB and now he is my starting DE with a 90 speed rating. When you change a linebacker to a defensive lineman his speed increases dramatically as well as his work ethic.

Dunno if speed actually matter in DL ? Not saying no, just not sure?
As for WE increasing when converting positions , if you convert any position to any other position, if you only have a few players (I find 2 or 3 but you should check before doing it) at the position you are gonna have the player become, "then" the WE will go up.

If you convert any player from a mojolad team to another team, his WE will increase. That is my theory, anyway.

Posted by bjschumacher on 9/18/2016 12:05:00 AM (view original):
If you convert any player from a mojolad team to another team, his WE will increase. That is my theory, anyway.

This has been proven by the Committee for Scientific Research led by the famous scientist Dr. Hobart Schweitzer-Magillicutty.
His proven theory is they are so happy to be rid of me that their WE can't HELP but go up !
I confirmed this when I got divorced - Her WE went up as well !