switching to 3-4?

[CatMan72]

Rivera was known for his 4-3 defense in Chicago before he was known for his 3-4 defense in "A Whale's Vagina" (aka San Diego)

[carolinarolls]

will he change to 3-4, maybe at some point

will it be next season...no

[PanthersGuy28]

I say stick with the 4-3

[Cyberjag]

Better hope he doesn't make a change to the 3-4. That would be an indication that something has been going horribly wrong--teams with good defenses just don't up and change their scheme like that.

[Snake]

Prob will stay with the 4-3. Beason would be wasted in the 3-4.

[Dpantherman]

Defensive scheme change unlikely for Panthers

[rmoneyg35]

I wouldn't mind it but do we have the right players to fit the scheme? we will need a NT for sure, I think Brown could workout to be a pass rushing LB, Norwood could also be that guy. We have a great linebackers but I don't know how they will work in a 3-4.

[bleys]

no need to change to 3-4 for the 100th time...

[FuzzyPanther]

Since we hired Ron Rivera as the head coach

Not set in stone at this point, but yeah, it's going to happen.

...and he has ran 3-4 D in the past. Do you think we will switch

Absolutely not. Our Back 7 is well suited for Cover 2/Zone Under (or Tampa 2, or whatever the heck we call a "base" D these days), especially if we can improve at CB and SLB. D-line is lacking in many ways, but that's an issue of improving from a personnel standpoint.

And if so, do we have the personnel?

No. We would need a 3-4 NT, which is basically the point of the 3-4. The 3-4, as a defense, is more about taking advantage of a player (namely the NT), who is so disruptive, that the defense can cover an extra gap with one less player. The type of guy who makes this very successful is slightly more common than a proverbial Hall of Fame/"Franchise"/"Elite" QB.

It's also a philosophical change in how the D-line plays, as they become "less attacking" and more "gap responsibility/O-line occupation". It minimizes the effectiveness of smaller/faster MLB's (which would now be known as ILB's), because they will be expected to take head-on blocks of O-Guards, defeat them, and make the same plays as before. This would destroy the strong points of guys like Thomas Davis and Jon Beason (probably our best). LB's need to be about 15-20 lbs. heavier in this scheme (if not more).

Additionally, the DE's in a 3-4 are expected to 2-gap as well, and they have more responsibility, and are typically bigger than a 4-3 DE. Our DE's are not considered big as it is, and now we are talking even more personnel issues in switching.

This is not a realistic option in my opinion. Most teams would take at least two years to make a successful change from one to the other. Our defense, as the roster currently is, would take around 5-6 starter changes, and set the defense back for 3 years in order to transition to a 3-4 that was as effective as the D is now.

[Wither]

Defensive scheme change unlikely for Panthers

You're a good man, DPM.

[KSpan]

Beason would be wasted in the 3-4.

Beason, Davis, Connor, Brayton, Landri...

[Cavscout]

Wrong personnel

[Kevin Greene]

Unlikely he will change to a 3-4 as he has been succesful with the 4-3.

However the switch is not something to be feared.

Check out Green Bay and their success moving to the 3-4. Watching the Packers line backers create havoc is a thing of beauty to watch.

Interesting too, of the defenses still in the Playoffs right now, how many are 3-4?????

[SOJA]