Week 13 Post-game AMA: Back to the drawing board

St. Widge said
Dan, given the shift in the league to more running, particularly in the Shanahan/Kubiak systems that are starting to dominate the league, do you think it would help to move to a 3-4 defense or some sort of hybrid of the 3-4?

My thinking is that it allows you to get three big guys in the middle to stop the inside run while having 4 LBs to make run fits and run down the running QBs that our big DE often seem to have trouble with. It would also seem to allow the Saints to take advantage of what I think are some bargains in the draft with run stuffing 3-4 DEs and NTs as well as take some of those tweener guys at LB/Edge that aren't big enough to play DE in a 4-3 but work as blitzing LBs in a 3-4. It seems to me that it's hard to find the big DEs we need for our current scheme that can play the run and rush the passer but 3-4 DEs, NTs, and LBs in general are undervalued in the draft which allows a team drafting those types of players to get great value and talent in the middle rounds. What do you think?

It's not a terrible idea if you can find the guys, but it also means bringing in a DC who is not only versed but bought in on that system. Even if you go to a 34 you're still gonna have to find that top-tier edge rusher, that DE/LB hybrid (probably in the early rounds).

The Saints still play the majority of their snaps in nickel, which is a testament to the fact that even though FBs and TEs are making a comeback, teams are still basing out of a lot of 11 and 20 personnel.

So you still might be talking about that nickel taking 70-75% of snaps (where it used to be 25-30% 15-20 years ago). What we could see is an evolution of the nickel position, to more LB-S hybrid vs. CB-S hybrid. Either way--even if your SAM LB is still a subpackage guy, it's gonna have to be a more premium position, regardless of whether in you're in a 34 or 43 front.