Quote Originally Posted by Carolina_Packer View Post
http://www.footballstudyhall.com/201...5-vs-the-3-3-5

This is an interesting read. I wanted to know what the difference is between the two nickel subs, and this article explains it pretty well. It got me wondering whether the Packers ever run a 3-3-5 formation, as Wist suggests, and if not, why? Is it all about coaching preference, and does that influence how the defensive roster is built? What would it take for the Packers to run the 3-3 vs. the 2-4 nickel?
Nice find, good article...

This is from the article, and it is what I have been saying for the past few years...

http://www.footballstudyhall.com/201...5-vs-the-3-3-5

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"The 2-4-5 is ultimately a defense of specialization as the main pass-rushers are going to be the two stand-up edge rushers. The defense deploys them on the edge because that's the easiest way to utilize a pure pass-rusher and they aren't asked to do a great deal other than control the edge and provide pressure. The defensive tackles will tend to specialize in clogging up the interior and helping collapse the pocket while the linebackers are running free as support players.

Without access to the kind of elite pass-rushers that can attack the edge and overcome an offense's best efforts at pass protection, the 2-4-5 is not a superior nickel package. It can also struggle against the run if defensive tackles aren't sturdy or the linebackers are deficient. However, it is the simplest and best way to allow big, fast, and powerful athletes to impact the game and attack the quarterback.

The 3-3-5, or 8-3, is more a defense of versatility and disguise that will require the DL to all be strong at filling interior gaps and ideally decent or good at collapsing the pocket. The linebackers are not specialists but "jacks of all trades" that can be transformed into superior pass-rushers by virtue of the system disguising where they are blitzing from.

Without versatile and intelligent players, the 3-3 is dead in the water, but when those pieces are in place it can pick on offense's weaknesses with greater precision and bring pressure from all angles."

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We can assign our players to the responsibilities listed above, but there are variations with how dunderdummy runs things.

Going back to when he ran the "jumbo", Raji and Pickett didn't get any push at all, and as should have been obvious to everyone, our outside rushers would fly upfield and either leave the QB with a comfortable pocket, or massive escape lanes to the sides.

Worse still was dunderdummy's penchant for lining his DT's up over the outside shoulder of the G's, while the 2nd level LB's were pulled out of the middle with coverage responsibilities - the result is "abandoning the middle of the field". Don't know how many times that idiot did that, and we'd get smashed up the middle on the ground for 15-20 yds.