Steelers moving to a 3-3-5 defense?

[Oviedo]

Very interesting article that discusses what they need, who fits and who doesn't.

[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2016/4/8/11391984/is-a-3-3-5-look-coming-to-pittsburgh[/URL]

For DL they mention non-traditional NT types who have more length like Andrew Billings, A'Shawn Robinson, and Vernon Butler.When you read this you could see them potentially going after a "Hybrid" LB/DB player like Sua Cravens who would fit or maybe a Jayron Kearse later in the draft. Also could see them going after more speed at LB..bye bye Jarvis.

If you believe this then you may want to reframe thoughts on the draft to something other than going after traditional fits for the 3-4 or 4-3. With a full year under his belt maybe we see Butler and Tomlin putting their marks on the next great Steelers defense. This draft may reveal alot.

[Rara]

Very interesting

[Shoe]

If that is the case, it is cool because it shows that we're being proactive and adapting to the new league... we're not sticking to a scheme (3-4) just because it is the way we've done things in the past.

It also say why we're looking at so many Safeties. You mention Sua Cravens (who I was high on before the draft process; not so much right now). The kid from Duke, tOSU kid, etc. I think Deone Buchanon from ARZ is a prime example of the type of Safety that is being talked about in the article (a hybrid S/LB).

[Iron City Inc.]

I would say 58steel is just spitballing with this. Now had he been to Latrobe the last few years he would have seen us toss a bunch of "big nickle" out there. We often pressed with the 3rd S in a match up against the slot. Man under cover 2 or on occasion the slot safety would fire. The only time I say Thomas looked good in our D. He had the quicks for that aspect. We've run the big nickle with 2 n 3 man fronts at camp.
The writers point about it creates confusion is correct. Who drops n who fires is the chess game. Scheme match up problems can give you an edge. However regardless of scheme you need to have players who can win one on one match ups.
Unlike 58steel I see Von Bell of OSU as a SS. His ability to cover is his strength. Strong enough and savvy enough to be in the box and hips to run n cover slot wr or te.

[SidSmythe]

aI will make the argument that BASE defenses don't mean anything anymore. 30-40% of snaps of played from base defenses (depending on 1st down success).
The other 60plus% is Nickel/Dime and they come in many variations. The only difference is player personnel and alignments.

[Slapstick]

It is simply a variation on nickel packages that we did not use much with LeBeau...he seemed to prefer dime packages on passing downs...

Bud Dupree doesn't really fit as much into a typical 3-3-5 either...but he does fit into a 4-2-5...simple enough for the three DL to slide into a different technique and have him step down to the line...

It isn't surprising that Keith Butler would incorporate some 3-3-5 looks into his D...Joe Lee Dunn is widely credited with inventing that setup, and Butler worked under him for several years...

In Dunn's 3-3-5, there were blitzes designed for all 11 defenders...another useful tool in the defensive toolbox...

[Oviedo]

It is simply a variation on nickel packages that we did not use much with LeBeau...he seemed to prefer dime packages on passing downs...

Bud Dupree doesn't really fit as much into a typical 3-3-5 either...but he does fit into a 4-2-5...simple enough for the three DL to slide into a different technique and have him step down to the line...

It isn't surprising that Keith Butler would incorporate some 3-3-5 looks into his D...Joe Lee Dunn is widely credited with inventing that setup, and Butler worked under him for several years...

In Dunn's 3-3-5, there were blitzes designed for all 11 defenders...another useful tool in the defensive toolbox...

Good insight. I like that Butler is thinking outside the box and trying to get more aggressive. Could be good year if we can amp up the pass rush and add some talent to the back end.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

The Steelers will still need to add a lot of talent to the back end of their defense.

[birtikidis]

We've run the 3-3-5 for years. This isn't new.

[phillyesq]

The defense the Steelers use the most is really a small 4-2-5 nickel. Heyward and Tuitt are the DTs and the OLBs are the ends.

If the Steelers draft Billings, I think you'll see them use some packages with Billings, Tuitt, Heyward and Dupree rushing the passer, in addition to Billings spelling Tuitt and Heyward.

They'll stay with a 3-4 in the "base" but they use the base less than they use the nickel.

[Jooser]

Man, I can't wait! I think Jarvis Jones will thrive in this set up!

[Oviedo]

Man, I can't wait! I think Jarvis Jones will thrive in this set up!

You're a funny guy. Article specifically identifies JJ as a player who may not fit. Hopefully he has a breakout season justifying his draft status

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

The defense the Steelers use the most is really a small 4-2-5 nickel. Heyward and Tuitt are the DTs and the OLBs are the ends.

If the Steelers draft Billings, I think you'll see them use some packages with Billings, Tuitt, Heyward and Dupree rushing the passer, in addition to Billings spelling Tuitt and Heyward.

They'll stay with a 3-4 in the "base" but they use the base less than they use the nickel.

Agreed, and I think that this is more about personnel than defensive philosophy. Find your 11 guys and then get them on the field. Figure out a way to let these 11 guys get to the QB and stuff the run and then call it whatever you want.

[RuthlessBurgher]

The defense the Steelers use the most is really a small 4-2-5 nickel. Heyward and Tuitt are the DTs and the OLBs are the ends.

If the Steelers draft Billings, I think you'll see them use some packages with Billings, Tuitt, Heyward and Dupree rushing the passer, in addition to Billings spelling Tuitt and Heyward.

They'll stay with a 3-4 in the "base" but they use the base less than they use the nickel.

Billings on the nose, Tuitt as the 3-technique DT, Heyward as the strongside end, and Dupree as the weakside end is a solid front 4. You could even run a 4-3 base with that front, with Shazier as your will backer, Timmons as your mack backer, and Jarvis as your Sam backer. That's a solid front 7 overall. In nickel, you could keep the same front 4 and remove Jarvis for an extra DB. Or you could go a little bit lighter at times, removing Billings, sliding Tuitt over to the nose, Heyward to 3-technique, make Bud your strongside DE and insert Deebo as your weakside pass rushing specialist with Shazier and Timmons behind them.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Teams in pass-heavy NFL more likely to bypass employing nose tackles


By Mark Kaboly 

Tuesday, April 12, 2016, 10:36 p.m.
Updated 12 hours ago

Casey Hampton stared down a reporter who was in the midst of a long-winded question about the responsibilities of a nose tackle in the Steelers' 3-4 defense before Hampton had enough.

“Man,” he said at the time, “my job isn't hard. I go left, or I go right.”

How times have changed.

Forget going left or right. NFL nose tackles are becoming a thing of the past, or at least a shell of how they once were viewed: run-stuffing, clogging-the-middle, nonathletic, large men.

“No question, it's a diminishing role in today's NFL,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

The Steelers employed two nose tackles in Hampton and Joel Steed over a span of 21 years from 1992-2012 — other than when Kimo von Oelhoffen played the position in 2000 before they drafted Hampton. That span marked one of the best defensive stretches the Steelers have had.

Steed and Hampton were prototypical nose tackles. They were big and could occupy blocks.

Now the Steelers are like many others around the NFL: They can't afford to have that type of player on the field.

Blame the pass-happy NFL.

“We played over 70 percent of our snaps last year in sub-package football, meaning that the offense had three or more receivers on the field, and we chose to match it in some form or fashion,” Tomlin said.

That means the nose tackle is taken off the field in favor of another defensive back.

“So it's a diminishing role, globally speaking,” Tomlin said.

The Steelers' usage of the nose tackle dipped from 67 percent in Hampton's final season of 2012 to 37 percent in 2014.

Hampton routinely played more than 60 percent of the defensive snaps a game.

Last season, Steve McLendon played a little more than 30 percent of his snaps at nose tackle. Against the San Diego Chargers, the Steelers used a nose tackle on only 13 of 75 snaps.

The position is diminishing but not extinct. Some of the NFL's best defensive minds feel there still is a need for a nose tackle.

“If you know how to feature that player,” said Falcons coach Dan Quinn, who was defensive coordinator for some of the recent dominant Seattle Seahawks teams.

“Are the 35 to 40 percent of the snaps he is going to be in the game, is he going to be the factor in the run game? It is still a factor, but like with all players, how do you feature them?”

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer — a longtime NFL defensive coordinator — also feels there is a role for nose tackles.

“It is when they run the ball,” Zimmer said. “The inside nickel rusher now becomes very important position, and that's what we look for.”

But now that inside player has to be more versatile than ever.

The NFL will hold its annual draft at the end of the month, and many teams officials believe it is irresponsible to use a first-round pick on a nose tackle who will be on the field for a limited number of snaps.

That makes players who can play inside on first and second down but can bounce outside on pass-rushing downs even more valuable.

“It is hard to lobby to take somebody like that who is going to be on the field 30, 40 percent of the time when you can get somebody else that can get after the quarterback on the interior,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “Those guys are at more of a premium right now.”

The Steelers have the 25th pick in the draft and are interested in such a player.

They've met with Baylor's Andrew Billings and visited with Alabama's A'Shawn Robinson. The Steelers have only Daniel McCullers on the roster as an interior defensive lineman, and he is a prototypical nose tackle at 6-foot-7, 348 pounds.

The Steelers are looking for a guy who can spell defensive ends Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt on nickel pass rushes and clog the middle on run downs.

“So many of them are looking for combo guys now,” NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said.

“That pure nose (tackle) where all you do is hold down the center maybe has value in certain divisions. Some of those guys have some versatility, even with all that thickness, maybe not huge sack numbers but can play those spots. I think that's what they're looking for.”

Tomlin said the Steelers simply are looking for good players along the defensive line and won't necessarily seek a versatile inside lineman.

“I think sometimes you limit yourself if you're looking for a guy with specific traits,” Tomlin said. “We have to be adjustable and pliable with what and who we have.”

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/10263340-74/nose-steelers-nfl[/URL]