4-3, 3-4: Which one is harder to beat?

[Doughboy88]

I am curious to see which base defense is overall harder to beat. Does practicing against your own 4-3 or 3-4 help better prepare you for the same style defense? Last year 13/32 teams had a base 3-4 defense, and 7 of those teams made the playoffs. I will be crunching the numbers later for 2012 and how they both styles impacted each team. We played 11 games facing a 4-3 and won 5 of them. Of the 3-4 teams, we won 2/5. Clearly this does not have any significant impact on the matter but maybe after all 32 teams are analyzed for 2012, there may be a trend. Maybe practicing against a 3-4 tends to lose more games against 4-3 teams and visa-versa. If there is a web site with this info already, please chime in!

[Dash Global]

3-4 more versatile and can disguise defenses and blitzes better

[TheRumGone]

it just depends on who is on the field.

[Nicbsbll2]

A well run 4-3 is just as successful as a well run 3-4. Each defense requires different styles and different type of personnel to successfully run and beat it. It's all about the personnel you have and the matchups you create.

[Kevin Greene]

Isn't it something like 9 of the last 13 team SB winners were 3-4s? The notable defense exception is the NY Giants and their tremendous Defensive Ends.

[rayzor]

A well run 4-3 is just as successful as a well run 3-4. Each defense requires different styles and different type of personnel to successfully run and beat it. It's all about the personnel you have and the matchups you create.

i would add to it how well the system is coached and run/executed.

[Peppers90 NC]

easy, whoever has the better players and coaches

[Delhommey]

Yes.

[OneBadCat]

4-3 with players athletic enough to run 3-4 hybrid sets

[Harris Aballah]

I'd imagine 4-3 is better against the run, while 3-4 would be better for timed-route, pocket passers.

[carolina-chuck]

34, just look how bad we've been when vs 34 D

[Lumps]

if one was better than the other, the other wouldn't be used....

it's all about the personal you have..and a mixture is always best. sometiems when defenses fail it isn't so much scheme as it is not having the right peices in places for said scheme and trying to make it work. if you don't have the personal any either scheme will fail

[Jackofalltrades]

6 in one, half dozen in the other really.

Like any scheme it comes down to running it effectively and having the right players to make it work.

They've both been around for a while, both are responsible for some Lombardi's, so I don't think one is any better than the other.

My preference is the 43 because I think it's easier to get the personnel to use as a base and still throw in 43 looks.

[koolkatluke]

Depends on the players.