Quote Originally Posted by FUBeAR View Post
Nah...you need 4-6 DT's that can play in a 4-3, but only 2 or 3 of them in a 3-4. You just fatten up a couple of those 1Tech's or ShadeDT's in a 4-3, lean up the lighter 3Tech's a little bit and move them to 3-4 DE's.

Hate to agree with PaladinFan on ANYTHING and I've always Coached 4-3 (when I Coached DL, on occasion), but after watching Mercer build a solid run D (with a bunch of walk-on D-Linemen) using a 3-4 alignment, I'm in the 3-4 Defense Camp for FCS Football Teams....particularly Teams in the South where Athletes (LB's) are more abundantly available to FCS Programs than big 'ol corn-fed DLmen.
Right.

There's a lot of misconception that you have to have some big space-eater to run a 3-4. Some teams do run a scheme with a lot of powerful two gap "read and react" defensive linemen (see: Alabama). Those type players are not typically available at the FCS level.

More likely, you'll see FCS teams implement a 1 gap scheme. The NT will be responsible for one gap instead of two. I actually prefer this type of defensive set because a quick and explosive NT can cause all sorts of problems for the interior offensive line. Have to a be a tough hombre to play in there, though, as you are going to get double teamed virtually every play.