Giants see differences in Cowboys' 3-4 defense
By VINNY DiTRANI
STAFF WRITER
EAST RUTHERFORD -- The Eagles and Chargers will be nowhere near Irving, Texas, on Sunday night, but their fingerprints will be all over the game being played in Texas Stadium.
The Giants and the Cowboys each will be featuring two new coordinators in their opening game of the 2007 season. So that means a lot of borrowing from here and splicing from there has gone on this week in the development of the game plans.
"We have to look at all the places he's been and things he has done," Giants new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said of Cowboys new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
Garrett, meanwhile, has been watching a lot of the Eagles' tapes in preparing for the Giants since Spagnuolo used to coach the linebackers under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson in Philly. Garrett's counterpart, Kevin Gilbride, has been watching a lot of the Chargers' tapes since both Dallas head coach Wade Phillips and defensive coordinator Brian Stewart were in San Diego a year ago.
While the design and most of the players of the Dallas defense remain the same, the philosophy and style of play are different from what Bill Parcells put on the field last season.
"You can see that Wade and his staff have had an obvious impact on the changes," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. "It is one thing to be playing what everybody thinks is a 3-4, but every one of their 3-4s is different, and how they are played is different. What we do have knowledge of is the personnel, but how they play us is a whole different ball game.
"They play different techniques from time to time."
Since the Cowboys play a 3-4, one would think the Giants should benefit some from having played 3-4 defenses -- the Ravens, Jets and Patriots -- in their final three exhibition games. Only eight of the 32 NFL teams employ the 3-4 front, and six of them are in the AFC.
The Giants will play five games, including the two with Dallas, against that look this season. Working against that front requires different blocking rules than the traditional 4-3 front.
"It's tougher to get a double-team," said guard Chris Snee, who is uncovered against the 3-4 rather than going head to head with some massive defensive tackle in the 4-3. "It puts a lot of pressure on the center and the two tackles."
Does that make it easier for a guard? "I wouldn't say easier, just different," said Snee, whose main job becomes getting out to one of the inside linebackers. "Remember, I have to block better athletes when they are linebackers."
So with the inherent differences in the defensive fronts, it had to be a blessing for the Giants offensive line to have faced some 3-4 front in the preseason. Or was it?
"This Dallas defense is 3-4 in personnel, but when you look at it, it really is a 4-3," said center Shaun O'Hara, "because DeMarcus Ware really is a down guy."
Ware is the Cowboys' talented weak-side linebacker who led the team in sacks last year with 11½. The thinking is Phillips will use him like he used Shawne Merriman in San Diego, as a defensive end rather than a linebacker.
"The Baltimore 3-4, the Jets' 3-4, the Patriots' 3-4, they were true 3-4s in the sense they were two-gap more read-and-react defenses," O'Hara continued. "The Dallas Cowboys are not read-and-reacting, they're flying, they're aggressive, they're penetrating.
"There are some things scheme-wise we can take into the week, but they really are kind of their own entity in terms of a 3-4."
STAFF WRITER
EAST RUTHERFORD -- The Eagles and Chargers will be nowhere near Irving, Texas, on Sunday night, but their fingerprints will be all over the game being played in Texas Stadium.
The Giants and the Cowboys each will be featuring two new coordinators in their opening game of the 2007 season. So that means a lot of borrowing from here and splicing from there has gone on this week in the development of the game plans.
"We have to look at all the places he's been and things he has done," Giants new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said of Cowboys new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
Garrett, meanwhile, has been watching a lot of the Eagles' tapes in preparing for the Giants since Spagnuolo used to coach the linebackers under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson in Philly. Garrett's counterpart, Kevin Gilbride, has been watching a lot of the Chargers' tapes since both Dallas head coach Wade Phillips and defensive coordinator Brian Stewart were in San Diego a year ago.
While the design and most of the players of the Dallas defense remain the same, the philosophy and style of play are different from what Bill Parcells put on the field last season.
"You can see that Wade and his staff have had an obvious impact on the changes," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. "It is one thing to be playing what everybody thinks is a 3-4, but every one of their 3-4s is different, and how they are played is different. What we do have knowledge of is the personnel, but how they play us is a whole different ball game.
"They play different techniques from time to time."
Since the Cowboys play a 3-4, one would think the Giants should benefit some from having played 3-4 defenses -- the Ravens, Jets and Patriots -- in their final three exhibition games. Only eight of the 32 NFL teams employ the 3-4 front, and six of them are in the AFC.
The Giants will play five games, including the two with Dallas, against that look this season. Working against that front requires different blocking rules than the traditional 4-3 front.
"It's tougher to get a double-team," said guard Chris Snee, who is uncovered against the 3-4 rather than going head to head with some massive defensive tackle in the 4-3. "It puts a lot of pressure on the center and the two tackles."
Does that make it easier for a guard? "I wouldn't say easier, just different," said Snee, whose main job becomes getting out to one of the inside linebackers. "Remember, I have to block better athletes when they are linebackers."
So with the inherent differences in the defensive fronts, it had to be a blessing for the Giants offensive line to have faced some 3-4 front in the preseason. Or was it?
"This Dallas defense is 3-4 in personnel, but when you look at it, it really is a 4-3," said center Shaun O'Hara, "because DeMarcus Ware really is a down guy."
Ware is the Cowboys' talented weak-side linebacker who led the team in sacks last year with 11½. The thinking is Phillips will use him like he used Shawne Merriman in San Diego, as a defensive end rather than a linebacker.
"The Baltimore 3-4, the Jets' 3-4, the Patriots' 3-4, they were true 3-4s in the sense they were two-gap more read-and-react defenses," O'Hara continued. "The Dallas Cowboys are not read-and-reacting, they're flying, they're aggressive, they're penetrating.
"There are some things scheme-wise we can take into the week, but they really are kind of their own entity in terms of a 3-4."
posted by The Gryphon at 8:47 AM
<< Home