4-3 v.s. 3-4

One of the biggest debates in football conversations everywhere is Whats a better defense 4-3 or 3-4? Both defenses have it’s advantages but only one can produce an uneven match up…..
The 4-3 allows you to occupy 4 OL with 2 DL….. In the 4-3 scheme the DTs must at least draw 1 double team if not 2….. With that the LBs can run free without interference of OL….. If you happen to have an athelete at MLB, that can run tackle to tackle, the 4-3 will bend but never break…..
Now with the 3-4 it’s more like a confusion philosophy…. Don’t show where the jail break is coming from….. For OL it is difficult to scan the line of scrimmage and determine where the pressure is coming from….. Advantage defense…. With LBs that are agressive and are ok in tackling….. You can send different looks towards the opponents offense….. If a 3-4 blitz package was picked up by the offense….. The 3-4 would definitely break…. 3-4 is all about timing and overload….. Creating pressure is the mindset of a well coached defense….. If the timing or the overload is miscalculated….. The offense is gone in the other direction…. Plus your asking a lot from the nose guard to defend the 2 “A” graps….. Brown of the Packers, from their Superbowl years in the 90′s, was a great prototype of a dominant noseguard…..

“To me, I like the 4-3 because of the constant pressure” says coach Moody of the youth Buccaneers…. It allows pressure all the time

” I say the 3-4 because of the ability to cover the outside and pass to then come up and support the run” says E, a former Dragon cornerback ’98….. “So you can retreat to refortify to have the ability to come back with a stronger defense” implies E….. The element of surprise is what’s important…..but it has to be timed right….

Still my belief is the 4-3 because of the double team potential….. Eliminating more with less is my formula for success

Detroit Lions

#1 pick in the draft….. Sometimes means nothing if the direction If the direction of the team is bad…. This time the Detroit Lions have Martin Mayhew at the helm….. A former defensive player that understands the importance of defense….. Remember, kitna predicted a 10 win season a couple of years ago…. He got hurt that season and they were close…. In 2008, he didn’t play….. So they didn’t win a game….. Now with a new QB, they can focus on repairing the 32nd ranked defense….. The Lions are anchored by LB Ernie Sims….. With 5 former Buccaneer players on defense….. The level of knowledge is at a high level….. So with drafting a LB or DL first, the Lions will put themselves In a contending position….. My suggestion would be LB Aaron Curry of Wake Forest….. With that much talent added to the Lions it will be very difficult to run the ball against Detroit….. The NFC North loves to run the ball…. Curry would be a great fit…..

New Rules

Many rules have been upgraded and added to this 2009 season…. The protection of a player now…..will help suffering and less medical payments in the future…..
The Hines Ward block created an addition to the rules of the NFL….. Now no helmet to helmet on a blindside block…..understandable since I’ve been blocked hard like that before( it Is not fun)…..
The other major rule change is the ability to create a wedge for the kick returner…..
So if I was a head coach I would have 3 tiers of two players in front of my returner and dare the kickoff team to “stay in your lanes”…… But that’s just me…… I truly understand the purpose of the rule changes….. Just like OSHA…. Safety first….. In a way I wish these upgraded rules would have occured back in the 80s….. I think it would have saved my favorite defensive safety Andre Waters….. And many others that went that route……
So I confirm the upgrade in the rules….. I hope it saves lives and fans…. Just imagine how big football will be when the world starts playing…..

The “Wildcat” offense

Finally, kudos to all NFL Head coaches that takes advantage of all 11 players…..

When the Miami Dolphins showed off the “wild cat” offense in the 2008 season, It had opponents wondering how to defend it….. The Patriots were the first victim….. Against one of the better coaches in the league….. Now the wildcat isn’t a difficult offense….2 important things…..misdirection and a player that can run after he takes the shotgun snap…..simple….but not for a defense…. LBs are taught to read RBs
and the direction they go…..when RB Ricky Williams would go in motion towards the QB…..LBs would have to respect his off tackle and outside threat….. When RB Ronnie Brown would fake it to Williams, LBs have to initially start their first step in the same direction as Williams till they realize it’s a fake….by that time RB Ronnie Brown would hit the hole in the other direction That Is why the Patriots are pursuing Julius Peppers….If Peppers is at his best…. He is unstoppable…. With a force like Peppers, LBs can cheat a little because Peppers can hold his ground on his side…..

The Wildcat offense allows a team to use all 11 players….. With pulling guards in opposite directions will cause a lot of mismatches on the weak side….. That is why the the Dolphins scored many rushing TDs…..
That’s why if the Tennessee Titans add that offense with Vince Young as the “snap catcher” it would be successful…..
The Florida Gators used that style of offense and we all know what happened….

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The 2008 season went astray the last 4 games of the season. Perhaps fatigue or bad coaching could be the reason. So they fired John Gruden and released some good veteran players. In this off season , the Bucs went after some big name players. The biggest signing for the Bucs was Tight-End Kellen Winslow this off-season . With the addition of Winslow, the Bucs now have a blocking TE/ receiver that can attack the middle of the field. Imagine pounding the ball for close to 5 yards a carry and running a play-action. Linebackers are gonna have to respect the run at that point, so a TE pass will kill defenses. In the past, we had decent TEs on our roster but they were not as big as a threat as Winslow. In Cleveland , he complimented Jamal Lewis and the running game to a okay season. Here in Tampa, Winslow will lead the running game with his ability to block and generate a double team once in awhile.  The Bucs are already praised for having the best offensive line in the league lead by Davin Joseph. The only weak link on the OL of the Bucs would have to be Jeremy Trueblood.  The oldest OL is Jeff Faine at 27 years of age.

In this upcoming Draft the Bucs should go for a defensive lineman or linebacker. With a quick secondary like the Bucs have, they need an interior lineman to assist “the last chance” Gaines Adams.  Everyone is yelling that we should draft a QB first then worry about defense. Last time i checked a QB doesn’t make a game changing tackle or a 3rd down deflection. We have a strong cast of QBs with Griese, McNown, and Johnson. If all three are given a fair chance to try and start, hands down it would be Johnson, Griese,and McNown. Griese is a great QB as long as the pressure isn’t on him. Coming in as a back up has shown some of his greatest games he’s ever played. The Tampa offense is intact with good enough talent to score. We all know the saying, “If they don’t score, we can’t lose”