By Joshua Bauer (Football Nation):
You may be asking yourself, “Self, I’ve been hearing alot about the Bills switching to a 4-3 defense in 2012… Why are they doing this and what does this mean?”.
Good question. With the sudden clamor surrounding the rebuilt Buffalo defensive line and Dave Wannstedt’s ascension to defensive coach, perhaps some of the fans don’t really know what all these numbers mean. Truth be told, there’s a good chance that many fans couldn’t tell the difference between a 3-4 or a 4-3 formation if it was stampeding straight at them, but they really shouldn’t have to. There’s nothing that says you have to know the mechanics of football to enjoy it (heck, most of the people I know are a little shaky on what the penalties mean… especially encroachment, which sounds less like a penalty and more like something crawling under the fridge), but for those curious enough to want to know, here’s why the Bills will benefit from the changed defense.
Last season, Buffalo ran the 3-4, a defensive formation that uses three large bodies on the line of scrimmage, who are primarily used in run stoppage, backed by four linebackers who are responsible for deciding whether to fall back in pass coverage or come up to help bolster the run defense. Outside of called blitzes, the linebackers in a 3-4 are largely left to depend on their own abilities to identify offensive plays, while the trio up front are locked in to staying up front and pushing forward. The weakness of this (one seen almost all of last season in Buffalo) is that with only three men up front, you have to ensure you get very large defenders, as they will often be subject to double teams on pass plays when the linebackers fall back into coverage, resulting in less pressure up front. In addition, coaches have to be sure that the linebackers know when to come up to help out the lineman and when to drop back to help the defensive backs. Basically, you need the right guys in the right places.
In Buffalo, the weaknesses were on display most of the year. Once Kyle Williams went down Week 5, rookie Marcell Dareus was asked to anchor a defensive threesome that may have been capable, but lacked the power to really force offensive lines back on their heels. Perhaps a little too small against the run as well, the result was a 27th ranking in sacks and a 28th ranked run defense. Meanwhile, nine-year veteran Nick Barnett was a monster in the linebacking corps last season (130 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 INTs), but other than rookie Kelvin Sheppard’s breakout performance (he and Dareus earned their spots for 2012), the rest of the linebackers looked confused, out of place. In the complex 3-4 scheme, even veteran Kirk Morrison too often looked unsure of his role, resulting in broken coverages and missed opportunities in the passing game (as well as a 30th ranked overall defense that gave up over 27 points a game and 232.1 passing yards).
So, what will change in 2012? Before we even get into alteration in defense, the addition of depth and power with the signings of Mario Williams and Mark Anderson immediately raises the defensive line’s ability to get into the backfield and stuff the run. While Chris Kelsay and Dwan Edwards did their best last season, the size and talent just wasn’t there; that problem has been remedied. As for the formation changes, the 4-3 requires four men on the line of scrimmage, two line up over the guards (Dareus and Kyle Williams for Buffalo), two at the tackles (Mario and Anderson), with a middle linebacker bearing down the center just a few steps back. That central linebacker (Barnett for the Bills) is flanked on either side by two more linebackers, a strong side (left side, likely Morrison) used largely to cover the tight end or the running back and a weak side linebacker (on the right, Sheppard) who usually plays multiple roles, from breaking up screens to blitzing the QB. The defensive ends are usually slightly smaller in the 4-3, which is why you’ve heard about outside linebackers (like Shawne Merriman) being converted into ends in Buffalo, as they are often the best athletes on the line (especially the right end where Mario will be lining up).
With the defensive personnel Buffalo has on the roster currently, you’ve got to see the upswing the 4-3 provides for 2012. It’s difficult sometimes to run an effective 4-3 without talent at multiple positions up front, but Buffalo seems to have the opposite problem they had last season, with no less than 14 defensive linemrn on the roster. With Mario Williams and Anderson bringing a combined 404 tackles and 88.5 sacks, Kyle Williams returning at 100% (he has 301 tackles and 13.5 sacks in 6 seasons), and Dareus proving his NFL worth already (43 tackles, 5.5 sacks), Buffalo’s front four will be more than most offensive lines can handle and are a dream quartet for Wannstedt’s scheme. In addition, Kirk Morrison should do more than his stats from last season with a more clearly defined purpose on the field that plays to his strengths (his weak 2011 stats aren’t normal for his career, which has seen 727 tackles, 7 INTs, and 6 forced fumbles in seven seasons). If Morrison does return to form, he, Barnett, and Sheppard seem just as formidable as the front line and opposing offenses are left with few real options (where’s the weakness? Cornerback?).
Sure, the Bills used the 3-4 as their bread and butter defense to end the last century (their Super Bowl runs with Bruce Smith, Phil Hansen, and Mike Lodish/Jeff Wright up front were awesome), but that was because they had the right talent at every position to make it a success, something Buffalo lacked last season (that… and healthy players). Ex-coordinator George Edwards ended up trying to squeeze square pegs into round holes all last year in trying to force his roster into the 3-4. What is so very different about the 2012 Bills’ defense isn’t so much the change in formation, but that they’ve gone out and found the right players to fit the 4-3 scheme, signing the names they wanted for the positions even before they start dipping into the Draft pool. Even without the ten picks they’re sitting on, Buffalo has a deep defense at almost every one of the front seven positions and are already being whispered about in offensive meetings (even outside the AFC East).
Why is the change to a 4-3 a good thing? It’s not so much that the formation is better, but because the team Buffalo has now constructed has the right players to make a success out of it, both against the run and in the defending the pass. If the defensive backfield can continue to be as INT-hungry as they were last season, the added might laid out in front of them could spell a top 10 defense in 2012 (again, they were 30th last year in points allowed, 26th in yards). Hey, with such a good, deep middle part of the Draft and smart usage of their ten picks this year, they might even be top 5… in the NFL… and this is the Bills we’re talking about. Will wonders never cease?