Quote:The yearly "switching to a 3-4 solves everything" thread.

 

Here is what I got when I did an internet search on Super bowl teams winning with a 3-4 defense.  Here is a good summation

 

<p style="margin-left:40px;">The first team that used the 3-4 defense frequently (though it was not their main defensive formation) was the 17-0 Miami Dolphins who won Super Bowl VII, and then repeated as Super Bowl champions the next year as well. The defense was known as the 53 defense after LB Bob Matheson, who would replace DE Vern Den Herder as a pass rusher. Matheson became the prototype for linebackers like Lawrence Taylor of the Giants and Shawne Merriman of the Chargers, whose primary job is to rush the passer.

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<p style="margin-left:40px;">The first Super Bowl champion who used the defense as their primary defense formation was the Oakland Raiders, who won Super Bowl XI. The Raiders would go on to win three Super Bowls using the 3-4.

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<p style="margin-left:40px;">Other teams that have won the Super Bowl using the 3-4 defense were the New York Giants (twice) when coached by Bill Parcells (but not last year when coached by Tom Coughlin), The New England Patriots (3 times) and the Pittsburgh Steelers when coached by Bill Cowher.

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<p style="margin-left:40px;">When coached by Chuck Noll they won the Super Bowl 4 times using the 4-3. The defense is actually a revision of the old Oklahoma Eagle defense devised by Bud Wilkinson, who used it to win 47 straight games in the 50's while coaching the University of Oklahoma.

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​So, looks like it comes down to having players to run your scheme and concepts.  We need to stay with the 4-3 and be more creative to match scheme and concepts to the players on the field.

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