Guide to the 3-4

I picked this stuff up from all around last year, I credit the people who's stuff is in here:

I use mostly a 3-4 for my base.

Try this for starters:

Since there's no 2Man Under play with a 4 man rush by default, create it yourself.

This is how you do it. Take any DoubleZ/X/TE plays, take control of the
safety that's in man coverage (or click on him pre-snap quickly so you
don't tip his man coverage off) and shift the opposite safety's deep
zone towards his side so he coverages his deep half rather than the
deep middle. So there's your man under Cover2 if you cover your half
manually with the safety your in control of. And as far as adjusting
the D-line, you can either shift it left or right in the direction of
the blitzing OLB or spread it out to help give that OLB a free path
into the backfield. If you setup the rush like that, the offense is
going to have to use an extra blocker to account for the overload rush
off the edge by the OLB and that gives you a bit more freedom to defend
the WRs especially. This is a far better 4 man pass rush than any 4-3
IMO. I personally like setting it up so the OLB rushes off the widest
side of the field or from the side where the TE is, that way if the TE
is constantly released on pass routes, that OLB has a better chance of
getting in & infront of the QB's face since chances are the QB will
look for the TE. Or you can sometimes man that blitzing OLB up on the
TE for double/triple coverge or man him up to the SE or FL to be in
position to take away slants or purple/flat/hook/deep zone him to keep
it a guessing game. Pretty nice way to play vanilla yet create a bit of
havoc and confusion.

Other than that, of course there's a bit more aggressive man under
blitzes, but the most aggressive I usually like to go is Cover1 and
plays like OLB Dogs Fire, Weak/Strong blitz are pretty nice. What I
like to do sometimes with that Weak/Strong blitz is shift the LBs in
the direction of the blitz so it turns into more of a 4-3 look, but
then playmaker that blitzing ILB to a purple zone so he helps take away
the quick slant in that direction, might want to leave the safety
that's in man coverage towards that side a bit back deep to show a
Cover2 look. Sometimes what I like to do also though is pick the 2Man
Under play, freeze the Defense, playmaker all my Linebackers to blitz,
then from there, based on what I see in the possible protection scheme
of the offensive formation, I will usually then re-playmaker a couple
of my Linebackers to Man or Zone and I might take control of a LB. So
it might seem like 2Deep man under all around, but my LBs could be in
zone/man w/ blitz, can sometimes help take away the obvious slants or
quick flat hits that people do when they notice man.

I also love zone blitzing out of the 3-4, but that's a whole different
ball game and a lot of the pre-snap adjustments I like to make are
based on where my opponent lies inconjunction with the hash marks,
downs & distance and the offensive formations. I like to mix it up
a lot, but try to make my alignments look similiar so you don't know
whats coming and freezing the Defense helps a lot with that IMO. Main
thing I try to do is bring atleast 5 everydown and I like to do that by
playmakering all my Linebackers to blitz first, them after adjust on
the fly based on what I said in my first sentence of this paragraph. I
personally believe that if you bring the heat first out of Zone, it
helps open up the use of those vanilla zones or "F@G" all out coverage
zones later on as a surprise tactic.

Heres some more techniques.

Try crashing the line to open the gap for the blitzters,it doesn't give
away what you are doing as much and is still very effective.

Blitz different linebackers all the time,thats the advantage of it,its
really tough to tell where the 4th(or 5th ) rusher is coming from.


Things like having the DEs into coverage and the OLBs blitzing can
really throw off your opponent,or corners blitzing and the OLBs
covering their area.Things like that.

Having trouble with the TEs? try calling one of those Double TE plays
and manually bump the TE so the timing will get thrown off and then he
will be in blanket coverage between the OLB and TE.

But like sully said, bring someone (or two) every down. From different
directions, LB's, CB's ... even sneak your safety down there and on PA
passes, they can get in there and wreak some havoc. Blitzing the OLB
and dropping the DE into coverage is nice ... just switch it up all the
time. A great chess game that is fun ... I just need to work on some
good zones for when teams spread the field with 3,4 and 5 WR's ... any
help with that. I am also converting to the 3-4 PB from the Balanced D
PB ... I think I am going to run 3-4 with whatever team I have. Just
sub in the strong DT's as DE's if that is the case ...

I run a 3-4 with San Diego. This is not so much a 3-4 write-up but more how to use the 3-4 to create a turnover or a 3 and out.

My latest strategy is to win 1st and 2nd downs and force a pass on 3rd
and long. I control the FS and I usually call a coverage play (mostly
cover 2) out of the 3-4 solid formation for 1st downs. Playmaker an OLB
to blitz to create the 4 man front (different everytime) I have found
that the solid formation is better against the run and usually stops
the run for a minimal gain.

If I can get 2nd and 7 or longer, most people go pass thinking that
their run for 3 yards was unsuccessful. Then I call a play out of the
3-4 normal. I like the zone plays, so I will go cover 3 or cover 2 man.
Again playmaker a LB to blitz (different everytime) and watch the
underneath stuff. Sometimes I playmaker more than 1 LB if I think they
will run again.

If I can get 3rd and 6 or 3rd and 7 I switch to a 3-3-5 cover 3. This
play tends to work well with 2 purple zones and 3 guys in deep
coverage. If they throw underneath again, chances are they won't make
the 1st down and it's 3 and out. I'll playmaker the LOLB to blitz (for
me it's merriman) and he gets great pressure. This is because the DE
engages the OT and the LB runs around the corner totally unblocked. The
offense has to make a play because it's 3rd and long, so the QB is
forced to throw it early. This leads to int's or incomplete passes most
of the time. The key to this play is that I can get tons of pressure
with a 4 man rush. That means I have 7 guys in coverage.

The other way is get up early. If I am up 14-0 most guys tend to
abandon the run and only pass. (mostly deep passes) At this point in
the game I'll run 3 deep man out of the 3-3-5.

I love the 3-4 defense and usually start a thread on it every year. I
run a lot of 3-4 normal plays, because it has the most plays and the
best zone blitzing plays. Line shifts and stunts work more this year.
I've changed my philosophy on running the 3-4 recently, but the scheme
itself is the same from past years.

I like running a lot of 2 modified man under schemes to stop the run.
Seems they get to the ball better doing so, 2 man under might be the
best D this year. As others have said there is no default 2 man under 4
man rush, but you can create it like booboo. Or you can run 2 man
under/man QB spy and blitz the spying/zoning WILB. This generates a 4
man pass rush and still provides excellent man coverage across the
field.

Other than playmakering that WILB to blitz, Try this also with that 2Man Under QB Spy Play to mix things up a bit:

-Playmaker that QB Spy WILB to a purple zone and now he's in position
to take away slants to the SE reciever or man him up to the SE, but
leave him in his default spot if you man him up so you don't tip the
man coverage and that way he remains with inside positioning on the SE
reciever. Also playmaker him to man up on the TE that's on the right
side of the screen and now he's in position to take away Post routes
over the middle to the TE, again leave him in his default position or
playmaker him to a deep zone.

-Flip the play so the QB Spy is with the SILB, then playmaker him to a
Purple zone and know he's in position to guard corner routes to the TE.

Just some ideas for creating some solid coverage.

Another good play is FS Blitz, you can turn this play into a 3 man
under play with a few quick playmakers. You have the freedom of
playmakering the FS to cover the SE, leave him on the blitz, put him
into a deep zone and make it cover 4 man under, hook zone him, flat
zone him. The SILB has the same options he's on a blitz by default.

My favorite zone blitz would have to be crash man. It sends the RCB on
a blitz with the rest of the secondary dropping into a 3 deep zone. The
MLBs are blitzing as well as the DT and LE drop into coverage. You can
turn this into a balanced zone blitz by stunting the enter D-line down
and playmakering one of the blitzing MLB to hook zone to cover the
middle of the field. Which essestinally covers the entire field. The
flats are open, but the deep flats are covered.

The best way to zone blitz though is to modify the base cover 2, cover
3 and drop zone plays though to your liking. Playing zone mostly has to
do with opponents tendecies like booboo said.

My favorite man blitzes are strong blitz and the OLB blitz (torpedos)
it gets a different name depending on the playbook. These two plays are
not only good pass blitzes, but run blitzes as well. Some more run
stuffing man blitzes are Stud & pinch, but their both cover 0 type
blitzes so if they get past the front line their liable to break a big
one.

I set up my 3-3-5 and 2-4-5 like the 3-4. Generally against a 2 WR 2RB
set with the 335 I come out in a 2 man under, pinch and crash the line
to the middle, pinch the LBs, blitz the MLB and stack him on the NT,
put my 3rd CB in a blitz and move him inside to a LB postion, and
control a safety 5 yards back from the LOS. Gets good heat and leaves
everyone exept the FB covered in man with 2 safeties deep.
When I just use the regular 3-4 sets I have 2 blitzes that I use alot.
1st is the Wide Blitz, I move the LB thats in a buzz zone to the
outside to line up as the #2 CB, I bring the blitzing CB in beside the
DE, I pinch the LBs and stack them.
2nd is trio sky zone, I move the line to the right and the LBs to the
left, I move the safety covering the deep middle down in between the
LBs and PM him to blitz, and manually cover the deep middle with my LB.
flats are wide open but its still good heat.

I run the 3-4 exclusively now and to stop the run I shift my D-line or
LB's towards the strength(it's up to you to decide) and stack the LB's
behind the D-lineman or sometimes I bring my 2 ILB's down into the A or
B gaps depending on how my D-line is aligned, this helps to clog up the
middle and usually one of my ILB's or my DT get penetration, this
technique also works well against plays were the guards pull(counters,
sweeps, and tosses) b/c the ILBS are able to shoot the gaps in the line
left by the pulling O-lineman b/c they are already aligned in the gaps
instead of back off the ball...

A play to stop the run that works pretty well as a base is 3-4 Under
Man- Qb spy( I forget the actual name, but it's man with 2 safties
back, and the MILB is in spy). I adjust the De's and Lb's differently
depending on what the O comes out in and where they have thier Te's etc
etc. You have to play with it a bit but it works. I prefer to pinch the
LBs, either fan oput the DE's or have the crash the middle, you have to
get a feel for what the opponent is doing and what your guys are
capable of covering. I use Wash and they all tackle decent so this
works for me.



To stop short yardage if Im not near a goalline I use 3-4 Under Cover
-2 man. I pinch the line and crash them middle, I pinch the lb's you
can spy 2 of them, or put the 2 outside to a spy blitz (the black
arrows) to contain any attempt to get the outside, also put the CB's a
touch inside thier men and possible place the safties where you feel
they are needed.

Nothing works 100% but these work enough that I use them more then not.

OH yeah, Wide Blitz and Crash Blitz, I definitely throw those in there.
I like to enhance both of those though the majority of the time. Great
vs. the PA happy dudes or containing QB rollouts. What I mean by
enhancing them is that I usually playmaker the D-line to loop rush so
it negates their zone blitz dropbacks and then after I might
re-playmaker the Linbackers around to zone or blitz. I just personally
prefer for the D-line to rush all three so they help tie up blocks for
giving my blitzing LBs or blitzing CB to get in easier. Sometimes I do
run these plays with their default setups, but I feel that's better to
do vs. people that throw super quick or spread sets, that way those
D-linemen can dropback into those quick/short passing lanes. Sometimes
I even manually move my blitzing CB up close to the box near the
outside of the DE/TE so the rush is super quick.

I recently took the 3-4 normal crash blitz out of my audibles and put
in the 3-4 normal weak roll/weak roll 3 into my audibles. Its more
flexible than the crash/wide blitz because the WOLB is already blitzing
to the inside of the RE. You can also playmaker the ROLB into flatz
coverage and blitz one of the hook zoning MLBs.

Also the CB that would normally be blitzing is in a flat zone by
default so you can just playmaker him once and you have buzz flat
coverage for the quick pass or you can have him come on the blitz at
your will.

I really like the play and I find myself using it more often than I used crash blitz because of its flexible.

In one of feardarams 3-4 write ups, he discusses spreading and looping
the D line, and pinching the LB's to help hide them behind the D line.

1.)When i try to do this it seems that I
get eaten up on the inside runs. Maybe i haven't given it enough
chance, but I haven't liked what I've seen with this setup. I find
myself running more of the 3-4 over without shift to contain more runs,
anyone else??

1.)inside runs are probably the hardest thing for the 3-4 to stop,
regardless of alignment. there are possibly better alignments out there
than mine for playing defense strictly against dives, but to me its not
worth it to change, since i never know what is coming. i find my setup
to be the best overall for defending everything. for me, the best way
to stop a dive is to get up in there with the saftey and make the
tackle. if the dives get repetitive, watch exactly how the QB drops
back and hands it off. whenever you see that run, use the run
playmaker. just be careful to only do it when you see that exact
footwork/hand off.

I prefer to do that with the 3-4-Normal-OLB Dogs Fire play or with the
"Normal" in general. Sometimes just Pinching the Linebackers in helps.
I feel it's better to use more Over/Under/Solid to help stop the inside
run. I actually use more Over/Under/Solid vs. 1-2WR sets because they
seem to do a solid enough job vs. the run because of how the D-linemen
line up, and I use the Normal when I setup more zone blitzes vs. 3+WR
spreadier sets especially. I say keep on blitzing hard, it helps a lot
to stop the run when using the 3-4.

2.) I like BOOBOOSD's scheme with modifying the 3-4 double x/y/z plays
to get a 4 man rush and playing as the safety the you pm into a deep
zone. One question though, how do you not tip off where the 4th man is
rushing from? Can't you tell where the 4th rusher is coming from by
which safety you play as??

2.) first, most people dont really understand what you are doing
anyway. unless they play the 3-4 and do what you do, it wont tell them
anything. #2, i routinely mix it up by leaving the saftey who is
doubling the WR alone, and then control the saftey in the deep zone on
the otherside (make sure to freeze the d, or move the other saftey over
a step, so he doesnt run overtop the WR he is doubling). this way, if
they do know what i like to do, they will be wrong about which side the
pressure is coming from.

You can hide that 4th rusher by not using the Coverage audible shift
(Triangle + Right). Once you use the coverage audible shift, your going
to tip off that either that 1 OLB is blitzing or playing zone because
that OLB won't move when you do the coverage audible shift. So if you
do use the coverage audible shift, you might want to sometimes
playmaker that blitzing OLB to zone or man coverage, to keep your
opponent guessing whether he will blitz or not, but if you man him up
on someone to create double coverage, don't allow him to move, keep him
in his natural position so you don't tip it off. I personally don't
care though if my opponent knows which OLB is blitzing, because it's
just like using a basic 4-3 - 2 ManUnder defense, the offense knows
that the 4Downlinemen are rushing, so it's kind of the same concept,
but IMO it's better out of the 3-4 because the heat by that blitzing
OLB can be setup better by overloading the O-line by spreading or
shifting the D-line & using D-line crashes in the direction of the
blitzing OLB. That's pretty much how I setup this play the majority of
the time because I want that OLB to get in vs. the pass, regardless if
it hinders my run defense a bit and I want to force my opponent to use
extra blocker(s) so it's less recievers to have to defend, such as a
troublesome TE or HB/FB attacking the flats. And no you can't really
tell where that 4th rusher is coming from by looking at which safety
you control, reason being is because if you control that safety in man
coverage, he's just an extra roam style defender since he's in double
coverage same with the other safety in deep zone, he's just being used
to double up someone or defend the deep/short/middle zone or whatever
you want to do with him because he's not manned up 1 on 1 with anyone.
So the only way to tip that 4th rusher off is by using the Coverage
audible shift because everyone else will slide into "better" man
coverage defending position, other than that one blitzing OLB which
stays put because he's blitzing. BTW, I actually prefer to play as the
safety that's in man coverage, or I'll click on him and move him a bit
pre-snap so he doesn't slide over to double off the receiver, then I'll
go use the opposite safety in deep zone. Remember, if you play as the
safety in man coverage, shift the opposite safety's deep zone all the
other way, to create a 2Deep style of play or if you roam lower or
manual blitz with that safety that's in man coverage, you just leave
that deep zone safety playing the deep middle.

and that right there is the key to the 3-4 (or any D really). mix
things up. make your opponent thing 1 thing is coming, set up your D to
show that 1 thing, then do something else.

This is very important. Case in point. Last night I was playing a
league game and this guy was killing my 3-4 all game with his RB's
staying in to block and audibling for pass coverage. I couldn't buy a
sack the whole game. He came back on me and was driving for the winning
score. I had mixed it up all game. I would play the 3-4, cover 2 and
blitz the LB's on the edge to get quick pressure and force a quick
throw. However, this time I didn't blitz anyone ... he still rushed his
read and threw the ball right to my CB in the flat zone. 92 yard INT
for a TD with like 1:55 left so I go up 7 ...

My point is that because I mixed up my coverages all game, I was able
to get this INT because he was totally expecting major heat ...

2. As far as which safety I use tipping off the 4th rusher, I think as
long as I'm not getting into a pattern it shouldn't be a problem.
Booboo, I will almost always freeze the D so the safety moving over to
cover his double pre snap is not an issue.

Your welcome. Yeah, you can also freeze the Defense like you said. I
always freeze the defense when I use Zone coverage especially. However,
with man coverage, I personally don't freeze as much because you can
run into problems when the offense uses motion and compression sets,
there could either be some very big mis-matches like a speedy WR vs. a
slower LB or your defender could be out of position to defend certain
types of routes. I do however sometimes freeze while in man under
coverage if I'm in Nickel, Dime or Quarter because those DBs in the
slots are usually in adequate position to still guard against motion or
compression sets. I mean lets say your in a 3-4-2Deep man under, you
freeze the defense, the offense comes out in I-Form-Normal, they then
motion their FL reciever to the left to create a I-Form-TwinWR set,
that then leaves your ROLB maned up to the FL who is now in the slotWr
spot. That's a mis-match in speed and if you don't unfreeze to get that
ROLB in a better position or coverage audible so the #1CB comes over,
that FL is going to have the outside position with corner routes, flat
routes, fade routes and have the speed advantage to get deep vs. that
OLB on streaks/fades/Corner routes. So your basically forced to help
cover with the safety over top. That's why I think it can be a bit
risky to do it out of the 3-4 especially or any base type D with 2CBs.
On the other hand, like I said, with Nickel, Dime,... you atleast got
that Nickelback or Dimeback out there and he'll have good positioning
on any SlotWR and of course there's not as much of a speed mis-match as
compared to a LB vs. a WR.

Can you explain to me what you mean by shifting the opposite safety's
deep zone all the other way. Do you mean doing triangle and either
right or left so that you can roam with the other safe who is doubled
up on the WR?
The double x type plays are originally a cover one with the other
saftey deep in the center of the field. So if you going to play as the
manned up (doubling) safety and want 2 deep safety's back you need to
playmaker his deep zone from the center of the field to the outside
away from your safety. Your manually controlled safety you want to
cover the other deep zone.

All those 3-4-DoubleZ/X/DoubleTE plays are Cover1 by default, with
either the FS or SS taking the deep middle zone of the field, that's
Cover1 and the opposite safety is in man coverage doubling up on a
reciever. So inorder to negate that Cover1, what I do is shift that
safety's deep zone all the way towards his side so he takes his deep
half of the field and I manually play the opposite deep half with the
other safety that's in man coverage. That's just the way I turn those 3
plays into a Cover2 man under play. But if you want to manually roam
lower in the box with the Safety like a Linebacker Troy Polamalu style
to help stop the run, manual blitz or get in the passing lanes of short
to midrange passes, then it's best to leave that other safety playing
the deep middle. Pretty cool way to mix it up because initially you can
show a 2Deep look, but then at the last second drop down with that
safety for manual blitzing, stopping the run or jump a route for an
INT. That's just the way I like to utilize these plays sometimes when I
control the SS especially. Sometimes I do like to control the safety
that's in deep zone, but if I do that, I make sure the opposite safety
that's in man coverage doesn't slide over to double up his reciever
because it will tip off the coverage and to do this I take quick
control of that safety pre-snap and move him a tad bit.

If you want to roam (play a shorter zone, man cover, flat zone, blitz,
etc.) with the user controlled safety then I believe BOOBOOSD is
recommending not to move the other safety's deep zone, keep it in the
middle (cover1) of the field.

right. say on the play the FS (the saftey on the left of your screen)
is the one in the deep zone, and your SS is on the right of your screen
manned up. i would shift the FSs zone to the left, to make sure he
plays his side as good as possible. i dont need him to cover the
middle, i need him to watch for a streaking WR down his sideline.
shifting the coverage over does that. in this case, it would be
triangle + left on the R analog stick.

I stay in the 3-4 all game if I can pull it off.
Mostly cause I hate running man coverage and the plethora
of zones and zone blitzes you can run are ridiculous.

My favorite thing to do with any 3-4 play is set up
a qb trap type scheme. I'll blitz either one of the OLB's
and shift/crash my line towards him. Then put the DE
opposite your blitzing LB in a contain assignment.

The overload should push the qb to the "containing" DE.

Yeah that's good and that's still only a 4 man rush. That's why I love
the 3-4 so much, it's so d@mn flexible and it's easy to setup
heat/containment with overloads.

When I setup a 4 man rush like that, I personally prefer to blitz that
OLB off the widest side of the field. Reason being is because most
people will roll out and look to throw towards the widest side of the
field because there's more room to work with. Therefore if the QB rolls
out too much or doesn't setup protection, he might roll right into the
blitzing OLB. Main thing I try to do is to either force him to setup
extra protection or roll out/look to the opposite side where there's
less room to work in passes.

Those are just some things that I like so much better than a 4-3. It's
so much harder to get that kind of outside rush angle with a DE from
the 4-3, so it can be tough to contain.

It's all about angles and that's the beauty of the 3-4 OLBs because
they start their rush angles from the far outside-in like a blitzing
Nickelback or Dimeback putting the tackles in very awkward positions to
block them, especially if their very speedy rushers. Not to mention you
got those big 3 Downlinemen that can help tie up blocks, further more
helping freeup those OLBs on blitzes.

A 4 man rush from the 3-4 if setup to overload can pretty much seem like a 5 man rush from the 4-3.

I stay in the 3-4 all game if I can pull it off.
Mostly cause I hate running man coverage and the plethora
of zones and zone blitzes you can run are ridiculous.

My favorite thing to do with any 3-4 play is set up
a qb trap type scheme. I'll blitz either one of the OLB's
and shift/crash my line towards him. Then put the DE
opposite your blitzing LB in a contain assignment.

The overload should push the qb to the "containing" DE.

This is a nice little tip. Plus the DE you can playmaker to a QB Spy or
the QB Contain Blitz ... or drop him back in coverage and have him go
for the INT. Good tip. Also, I am working on using zones for the whole
game ... it just makes it a little harder for the offense if they can't
depend on man for one of our 3 downs. And since the defenders play zone
so much better this game, it helps.

Yeah that's good and that's still only a 4 man rush. That's why I love
the 3-4 so much, it's so d@mn flexible and it's easy to setup
heat/containment with overloads.

When I setup a 4 man rush like that, I personally prefer to blitz that
OLB off the widest side of the field. Reason being is because most
people will roll out and look to throw towards the widest side of the
field because there's more room to work with. Therefore if the QB rolls
out too much or doesn't setup protection, he might roll right into the
blitzing OLB. Main thing I try to do is to either force him to setup
extra protection or roll out/look to the opposite side where there's
less room to work in passes.

Those are just some things that I like so much better than a 4-3. It's
so much harder to get that kind of outside rush angle with a DE from
the 4-3, so it can be tough to contain.

It's all about angles and that's the beauty of the 3-4 OLBs because
they start their rush angles from the far outside-in like a blitzing
Nickelback or Dimeback putting the tackles in very awkward positions to
block them, especially if their very speedy rushers. Not to mention you
got those big 3 Downlinemen that can help tie up blocks, further more
helping freeup those OLBs on blitzes.

A 4 man rush from the 3-4 if setup to overload can pretty much seem like a 5 man rush from the 4-3.

That tip about the blitz coming from the wide side of the field is a
nice kernal of wisdom. I am going to have to look at that ... shorten
the field and force the Offenses' hand ...

So ... fellas ... take a team like the Redskins in Madden. They are not
a "typical" 3-4 team but I play with them alot and I want to use them
in the 3-4 ... they have some good LB's (Washington, Marshall, McIntosh
and now Posey) ... how would you set them up to do the 3-4??

I been coverting over to the 3-4 D for about 6 months now and it's the
best way so far that I've found at containing some of the runs out
there.Some of the things you guys talked about already sounds to me
like a great way to help me start confusing my oppents better and I'm
looking forward to implimenting them into my game plan here in the near
future.Here are 3 or 4 of the ones I like to use and maybe you guys can
help to make them better.1ST is the Pinch and what I do is shift the
line to the right pm them down then pinch the line and shift my lb's to
the right.Next I bring the rilb up inside the rde and ethier manually
control him over the middle or rush him in if I think it's a need at
the time.Sometimes I put the olbs in man to help take away the flats or
te.2ND one is the weak blitz and all I do is shift the line left and
crash it outside and call B-N-R if I think it's a need too.3rd is the
strong blitz but I don't use this one much but if I do I will flip this
play depending on what I see has been happening on the field.4th is the
drop zone and all I do with this one is shift my line right and control
the lilb and bring him down over the lde.Once the ball is snapped I'll
drop him back a step and then manually rush him thru the a gap between
the c and rg.9 times out of 10 I can get him in untouched.Well any
improvements to these would be help and thanks for your tips as well
gentlemen.

General Info:

The 3-4 defense vs the 4-3 in comparison is not just the amount of down
linemen or linebackers in comparison to each other. Being that usualy a
4th rusher is added, that rusher can come from any where not just the
linebackers. It can be a Safety(s) or cornerback(s) or a combination of
any number of players from the three levels of the defense
(DL's,LB's,DB's). To provide an adequate pass rush or to just x out or
to occupy linemen, to open up rushing lanes to the "Prey" (The QB).

In the 43 when you send a rusher other than the front 4 defensive
linemen, it is considered a "DOG". This is something that everyone
needs to know for playcalling and in- game gameplanning/probing
purposes. The reason being is that when you send in ONE extra rusher, a
defense can still call any of the following coverages: Cover 1, 2, 3,
And match up better against a formation or protection. Whenever a
defense sends 2 or more players, then it becomes a "BLITZ" when a
defense blitzes the only viable coverage is Cover 0. (No Safety help)
And the "PREY" can easily identify the defense's intentions
immediately. There are ways to override this with "zone blitzing" but
ill explain that later in this write up.

In the 34, in order to even match up effectively against any formation
you will have to "Blitz" meaning that now the defense has to bring 2
more rushers from somewhere.

This puts the "PREY" at a discomfort level and on the same playing
field as the defense. Why? Because in Football the offense always has
the upper hand because they already know where the ball is going during
pre snap. The defense is at a disadvantage, because they either have to
guess where the ball is going or try to force the ball somewhere else
other than the place where the offense intented.

The 3-4 serves as a phsycological tool agaisnt the "Prey" (QB) or in
this instance an online/offline opponent. In the 43 defense 9 times
outta ten either safety or cornerback(s) can tip off to the QB where
that extra rusher is coming from, by simply just adjusting their
position or stance. Especially with motion and shifting.

While in the 3-4 the defensive backs if not warranted dont have to
adjust because of the 4 Linebackers that can interchange assignments on
the fly depending on the defensive scheme or play. Therefore putting
the QB in an uncomfortable position under center. and at least adding
seconds the QB stays in the pocket.


Personnell[


The personnell, or as i like to call my front "7" defensive
players..."HUNTERS" needed to successfully run this type of defense is
way different than the 43
The 34 formation requires 3 big huge beefy defensive linemen. Its not
like the 43 that generally requires a mixture of strenght, size and
speed. All that matters for defensive linemen in the 34 is that they
are BIG and STRONG.( 310-320 lbs for DE's and 330-350lbs for NT's) They
reason being, that these guys only job in the 34 is to take up as much
space as they can, occupy the offensive line, and open up gaps so the
linebackers can attack. Its the same concept as with the offensive line
opening running lanes for the running back.
Also very different from the 43, the defensive linemen's target is not
the QB. They dont attack the ball, they instead clogg lanes to prevent
the ball from penetrating thru the gaps.

The Linebackers, are bigger in the 3-4 because of the constant battling
they will have to do against offensive linemen, Tight ends and
fullbacks.
The Outside Linebackers also bigger than 43 OLB's (Around 260-270 lbs)
are usaully the best pass rushers and the fastest of all 4 linebackers.
Also due to the fact that they have to be able to drop in coverage.

Inside Linebackers, are the same as Middle Backers except that, they
are stronger and beefier (250-260 lbs). they will be doing alot
fighting around with Guards and Fullbacks.

GAP ASSIGNMENTS

I wont go into details about techniques (the position where the
defensive lineman lines up against the offensive line, and rush
angle/lane) when i try to explain the gap assinment of the 34. IMO
Madden doesnt use them or yet......

GAP assingments are crucial to any defense in any level of football
including Madden! When Tiburon added "Random Gap blitzing and Suction
blocking"
they took something away from the game of football. Its like taking
away the jump shot in basketball. Yes this is that important.

Just because you see a 43,34,46 etc...used by many teams, it doesnt
mean that they all attack or defend the same way. Ill get into this
later if anyone wants the info.

Generally the 43 is a "ONE GAP" defense, every defensive player in the
front seven is assigned "1" gap. Where as in the 34, everyone in the
front seven are assigned two.

In the 43, regardless of where the ball is going, the front 7 usually
the defensive line, attack that gap. The linebackers either

a) protect their gap or/and

b) Attack their assigned gap or strafe to the ball.

But in a perfect world, if the front seven attack each gap, all running
lanes and passing lanes would be closed. One way (which is not entirely
true due to complex schemes) to tell if a defense is in a one gap
front, is by looking at how they lineup. (Between 2 offensive linemen
directly in/across the gap)

Now in the 34, the front seven play a two gap system (generaly) The
Defensive linemen are lined up directly across a lineman (Usually the
Tackles and Center) and are responsible for 2 gaps opposed to 1 like in
the 43.

Theyre JOB is to attack the lineman across from him directly then,
choose a gap to defend or clogg. (Again, this is not always true due to
more complex schemes). Depending on where the ball is headed. For the
linebackers, all they do is attack the GAP that the defensive lineman
left open, and/or strafe to the ball.

my set up

my base set up, from every 3-4 formation (normal, over, under, solid),
when the run is a threat, is to spread the Dline (L1 + up on the Dpad),
loop the Dline (L1 + up on the right analog stick), and pinch the LBs
(R1 + down on the Dpad). no matter what play i call, when the run is a
threat, i set my defese up like this. doing this seems to hide the LBs
a little better, allowing them to either shoot gaps blowing up the run,
or simply just clogging the hell out of the middle, leaving the RB no
room to run. tackling with the saftey is a must on alot of plays, as
this set up will usually allow you to run free and make plays. against
passing downs (2nd and long, or 3rd and not short), i usually just
spread and loop my line, but i wont pinch. by not shifting my line, it
isnt obvious where the pressure is going to come from. more than
anything else i can tell you, i think this setup is the most important.
most guys say they have a problem stopping the run from the 3-4,
overall i dont with this setup. i will conceede that the 3-4 defense is
not going to be very successful trying to stop 3rd and inches type
plays. the 3-4 D will give up yards on the run, you just hope its 2
here, 3 there, etc.

3. the formations (normal, under, over, solid)

i use all of them. normal has the most amount of plays in it, but all
are nice, and if just going by stock plays, all have some different
ones. i use the 3-4 book.

anyway, the only real formation i use for a specific purpose is the 3-4
under. this is my stretch run killer (from strong i, or i normal). pick
2 man under (and do my normal setup of spread/loop line, pinch LBs),
bump each WR, move the SS a little to the right of your screen (a
little outside the TE), and control the FS. this setup will either
allow the MLB to shoot the gap and crush the RB in the backfield or
shoot the gap and force the RB outside way too fast. and almost
everytime, the FS you are controlling will go unblocked, allowing you
to run to the right of your screen to make the tackle for a short gain
or even a loss. i used to get killed by guys who made a living off this
run play, cuz using 3-4 normal gets the FS you are controlling blocked,
instead of freeing him up. once i figured this out, i was able to hold
guys in check who abused and overused this play.

4. my philosophy

blitz atleast 1 LB on most plays, try to mix things up, and bend but
dont break. ill take small chances to get sacks, but i usually set up
coverage behind it to avoid giving up huge chunks of yards. it sounds
basic, but it works.

some zone blitz plays i like:

1. LB Storm 3 (3-4 normal). this play can be ran as it is, but i
usually put the CB on the left into a flat zone, and put the LOLB (on
your right) into a flat zone, or leave him as it is to protect against
a quick hitter to the TE. the 3 other blitzing LBs should get to the QB
pretty quickly. i use the SS, and roam the middle.

2. weak storm roll. i usually put the MLB #1 (on your right) into a
flat zone. then i usually blitz the CB on your left, and put the other
MLB into a flat zone. so you have cover 3, a purple zone on the right
of the screen, flat coverage on both sides, and you control the SS and
police the middle. this can get some pressure with the OLB blitzing,
and the CB flying in from the side will cause some major disruptions to
the offense. this D has its holes, but only if the offense does 1
thing, overload the middle. like i said, alot of guys look to the flats
with their TE/RBs, which you have covered.

3. trio sky zone. get some flat coverage (if it isnt 3rd and long), by
putting the a combo of the ILBs/FS/ROLB (the one who isnt blitzing)
into the flats). flip it to get the purple zone on the TE side, if the
O likes corner routes alot.

4. crash blitz. some LBs blitz while your Dline drops back, and a cb comes in. throw in some flat zones if needed.

as you see, you can do just about anything, no matter what the play.
you can also use engage 8, and put guys in coverage the way that you
want them. all of that is effective. there are a bunch of other
effective zone plays, just make sure to zone guys where the O likes to
throw.

7. playing a man/zone combo

i mix these in once ive shown what i like to do with all man or all zone coverage. plays i like:

1. exchange (only use if you have a somewhat fast DE): this play has
your LE (on the right of your screen) manned up on the TE/FB/RB. the 2
MLBs are in hook zones, one OLB is blitzing, the other is in man. both
CBs are in man, with 2 safties deep. i love this play, cuz no one
expects the DE to man up on someone. i have gotten picks with my DE,
its pretty awesome.

2. CB Dogs Blitz: both CBs are blitzing. i put each OLB in a flat zone
(sometimes just one). you gotta watch the deep ball here. control the
saftey to the side of the fasest/best/biggest threat. there isnt any
immediate pressure, but the CBs will get there if the ball is held on
to.

3. zone-man blitz: i run it just how it is. a FB or RB is left
uncovered, so you can put a DE to a flat zone on side if you feel like
it. good for some confusion.

4. FS blitz. i usually move the FS down in the box. you have people
manned up underneath, and cover 3 deep. brings pressure from an
unexpected place.

8. bringing it all together

on their own, none of these plays are that special. none will hit the
QB on their 2nd step of their drop, nor will cover every area of the
field. the idea is to just keep them guessing about which, if any, of
your LBs/CBs/Safties are blitzing. since you have guys who can come
around the outside, and you have spread your line, the O really has to
have backs/TEs blocking to that side, or the blitz will get there. once
they look to block the outside, blitz the MLBs, etc. you are looking to
try to get pressure, are willing to give up some gains, but arent
willing to give up the big play. you are hoping, before they score a
TD, you can get a sack to force a FG (or take them out of range), get a
INT, a fumble, etc. make them work for their points. if they beat you,
they beat you, but atleast you didnt just give it to them. seeing as
how i play like this, i dont use cover 0 blitzes. no matter what, ill
have atleast 1, but preferably 2 safties deep at all times.

9. Other plays i like from the 3-4 book

2-4-5 2 man under. spread dline (but dont loop), spread LBs, and blitz
the ROLB (on the left), to take away that weird stunt. gets good
pressure from the outside.

dime 3-2-6 2 deep LB blitz. spread and loop line, shift the blitzing LB
to his side. if you notice, his blitz angle wont change (usually when
moving a blitzer his blitz agle shifts towards teh QB, and the blitzer
just runs into the Oline), he runs straight down after the snap and
around the Oline.

anything from the 1-1-5s. so many ways to blitz Lbs and safties.

Blittzing from the 3-4

To me the biggest advantage to the 3-4 is how you can generate what
would be 5 man pressure out of any other set with just 4 men, and with
5 man pressure the heat is insane.

So I labbed for about an hour last night and found this about the 3-4 YOU CAN GET INSANE GAP HEAT EASILY

A gap:
Here the idea is for the DEs to man up with the Gs and the NT to take
the C. Then both A gaps will be open. Infuriately the Ts can suck out
the DEs putting the blitzing ILBs on a G. This nullifies the pass rush.
GOD DAMN SUCTION BLOCKING
Yet, there are ways to combat this. I found three.
1.) Ignore it, use the right formation, and out of the right formation the Ts only pull the DEs about 25% of the time.
2.) Blitz an OLB; he will engage the T eliminating the possibility of the T pulling the DE.
3.) Put an OLB in flat coverage. This will cause the T to wait to block him.

!NOTE! While setting up A gap heat you want the ILB/ILBS lined up right
between the NT and DE. It should look like he is slapping there asses.
You also want to shift the LBs until you find the straightest blitzing
angles. !NOTE!

B Gap:
With line shifts the DE and NT will engage the T and G leaving B gap
wide open. The only way this can be stopped is by suction blocking,
when the C pulls out the NT. This leaves your LB stuck with the G.
However this can be counteracted 3 ways to bring a sick blitz:
1.) Ignore it, use the right formation, out of the right formation the C only pulls the NT about 25% of the time.
2.) Blitz an ILB this is the best way. Here the C has to choose who to
block the NT or the ILB if he blocks the NT the ILB gets through as the
other DE holds up a guard. Yet if the C blocks the ILB the OLB or other
ILB shoots through.
3.) Put an ILB in the flat zone (light blue zone) on the blitz OLBs
side and put him in between the NT and DE, this should place him right
in front of the C, now bring him down really far. What will happen is
the C will stay in place to block the ILB who will then run out to the
flats. This leaves the B gap wide open.

!NOTE! While setting up B gap heat you want to use the LB with the best
blitzing angle, either slightly inwards or straight down. Then place
the OLB or ILB right over the T he should be on a line with the DL.
!NOTE!

C gap:
This is the easiest heat to get. However a blocking back can stop this
and nothing can be done. However most OLBs or DEs will plow over a HB
or FB, and suction blocking doesn’t hurt you. The only problem here is
random blitz angles. These can’t be stopped here unlike with A and B
gap heat. This is also easy heat to set up, there are 2 ways.
1.) Shift and crash the line towards the side you want to bring the
heat from. Then slide the LBs the OPPOSITE WAY, and blitz the OLB on
the side you want to blitz. If he is place right over the DE this blitz
is more effective, but it is not necessary.
2.) Spread the line, crash it out, spread the LBs and blitz both OLBs, this is really effective, until they run it up the gut.

Examples:

A Gap Heat:
3-4 Solid
Pinch DL
Crash DL Out
Blitz LILB
Optional: Blitz RILB also, or Blitz OLBs, or Put OLBS in flats

B Gap Heat:

3-4 Normal FLIPPED:
(for normal not flipped just do the opposite)
Slide Line Right
Slide LBs Left
Blitz the ROLB between the NT and the LDE
Optional: Blitz the RILB onto the C or put him in a flat zone

3-4 Under FLIPPED:
(for under not flipped just do the opposite)
Slide line Left
Pinch LBS
Blitz the LILB
Optional: Optional: Blitz the RILB onto the C or put him in a flat zone

3-4 Solid:
Slide the Line left
Crash the Line Out
LILB Blitz
Optional: Optional: Blitz the RILB onto the C or put him in a flat zone

C Gap Heat:

3-4 Normal
Spread the Line
Crash the Line Out
Blitz the LOLB and ROLB

3-4 Normal
(flip for left side heat)
Shift the line Right
Crash the line Right
Shift the LBs left
Blitz the ROLB
Optional Blitz RILB or put him in a flat zone

3-4 Solid
(flip for left side heat)
Shift the line Right
Crash the line Right
Shift the LBs left
Blitz the ROLB
Optional Blitz RILB or put him in a flat zone

thanks to

-Calvinandhobbes Akrid and FeardaArm BOOBOOSD MelloDrama Sully907 ahr19
Virtruvious Bearfanmike20 vicious2500 wtomasino Titans 4 LIFE
damonstrous's Avatar
damonstrous JTMoney dwmoss JTsteez ahr19 cew6225


That was a long post

JTsteez is a madden magician the reads he has are unbelivable you can see some of his 07 vids on youtube

meh...his d is o.k. his offense was a pain though

this is wwwaaayyyyy too long

Cowboys101 wrote:

this is wwwaaayyyyy too long

Hell naw it ain't if you like to learn ;P.

yeah this isnt that long and thanks for posting this yogi because i pretty much just run a 3-4 and i knew about most of these plays but it was a nice reminder of what works and what dosnt i would also be interested in what you do for the 3,4,5 wide sets

I have some specific plays in the other post...

for 3,4,5 wide sets I run Nickle 3-3-5
either 3 Man Under or Cover 1

see the other section for details

you played jtsteez......yeah he knew how to use tb pb and gave me a bit a trouble

yeah if I remember right it was the bunch plays with the corner and post routes that were particullarly bad

so he was playing a cover 2 on you?

I haven't even had time to digest this yet, probably till two more weeks I have been busy with life and trying to get my hs diploma, I am eager to digest all this haha.

thanx alot, most of it I use anyway jus really needed sum1 to say it really works. cuz when i get burned i think, damn i was playin that krazy s***. and i go bak to basics.