re: bonethug's First Saints Talk Mock Draft 1.0.2, now with Paprika

Want to post this separately.

In the 1-gap 3-4 the linemen are asked to penetrate, the ILBs are asked to read and fill/under cover on passing downs, and the OLBs are asked to hold the edge/rush on passing downs with some cover responsibilities.

In Ryan's scheme in particular, the corners will man cover and sometimes press for run support, the FS will play deep(or man cover on some plays), and the SS will play run support and blitz while occasionally covering.

What most people think with a 3-4 is the 2-gap in which the NT holds the C and a Guard, the DEs hold the edge, the OLBs rush(more important than in the 1-gap because the linemen don't rush and this is where blues is coming from), and the ILBs will make most of the tackles.

From the sounds of it, blues is thinking of the 2-gap where your rush mostly only comes from the OLBs and the NT has to hold two linemen on every play.

In Ryan's scheme all 3 linemen rush with 1 or 2 of the OLBs so they are less important and the NT does not have to hold two linemen as he is penetrating his gap. This puts the most pressure on the ILBs to clean up the plays and they are the most important position in Ryan's scheme up front. It's also why the SS plays in the box to help in run support.