re: Why did O want to switch to a 4-3

quote:

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so if you run a 4-3 that is a 4-2-5 with 3 cb’s and two safeties (base 4-2-5 is usually 3 safeties and 2 CB’s) and if you run a 3-4 that goes to a 3-3-5

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most 3-man base Ds go to a 4-man DL in the nickel. it's not a 3-3-5. sometimes it's labeled as a 2-man front but that's just trying to be clever

base 4-2-5 and 3-3-5 are different than nickel looks from a 4-3/3-4

gap assignments matter a lot more than how you label your down lineman anyway. there are 2-gap 4-man base Ds and combination gap schemes (like the Tampa 2, which had a 2-gap DT typically over center to allow the star 3-tech to attack a single gap of his choice pretty freely)