New York Giants' Terrible Defensive Showing Should Be Call To Return to 3-4

Ultimately, the 2009 regular season will be defined for the multitude of offensive juggernauts going off on weaker defenses.

One of those weaker defenses just happens to be a team generally renowned for it: the New York Giants. 

Sheridan’s firing at the end of the season was really the only sure thing for the Giants in the month of December. The lack of pride exhibited virtually on a weekly basis sent shivers down any Giants fan’s spine.

For years, fans would congregate in Giants Stadium throughout December with their faces protected against the wind and layer upon layer over their bodies to attain any semblance of warmth. And it usually didn’t work.

But it was all for naught when they watched attentively as their men in blue would dominate the line of scrimmage, make the quarterback run for his life, and light up any receiver that would dare run a slant.

These moments are what Giants fans have gravitated towards for generations. But now, following a season in which a total of 427 points were allowed, and quarterbacks accumulated over 1,000 passing yards at the Meadowlands in December, a defensive overhaul may be imperative.

Sure, there’s an outside chance that this season was a mere product of injuries and poor coaching. But it’s unrealistic. And if the Giants do bank on these same core defenders only for another disastrous season to ensue, the fallout will be unimaginable.  

It’s time for the Giants to identify their past and build accordingly. It’s time to renew the 3-4.

It sounds crazy because the Giants clearly do not have the personnel to attain a smooth transition into a 3-4. But as this past season evidenced, the Giants may not have the personnel for a 4-3 either.

The game is meant for quarterbacks to thrive today. It is becoming even harder for 4-3 defenses to combat the growing number of productive quarterbacks in the NFL. Take a look at the defenses in the playoffs this year.

Over half the teams in the playoffs run a 3-4: the Jets, Cardinals, Packers, Cowboys, Ravens, the Chargers, and the Patriots. Of them, every single team is ranked in the top 14 in points allowed per game.

Conversely, three of the five teams that employ 4-3 base defenses are ranked in the top 18.

The flexibility a 3-4 offers is tantalizing, and the collegiate athletes being drafted into the game are more equipped for it. Athletic linebackers with pass rushing ability are becoming more abundant, while it has proven to be challenging for teams to develop defensive linemen even with talent.

Secondaries today are simply unable to keep up with the array of speedy receivers with freakish skill sets. It’s paramount for there to be a pass rush. In order to contain elite receivers, the front four will have to generate a rush on its own so a potential rusher can be in coverage.

However, in today’s game, it is tough to acquire four linemen that can get after the passer. Given the likelihood of an injury, it’s highly improbable a defensive line will be able to consistently knock the quarterback down.

Under a 3-4, the defense’s best pass rushing threats are the linebackers. And they are coming from any direction. Contrast this with a 4-3 defense in which the best pass rusher is generally the right end, and the linebacker corps usually consists of just one legitimate pass rush threat.

The Cowboys are becoming an exhibit on how to contain explosive offenses. The speed around the edge has kept the likes of Drew Brees and Donovan McNabb very uncomfortable, and the inside surge has gotten them to the ground.

The most creative a 4-3 defense can be without an over-abundance of talent is a zone blitz. But as evidenced this season in many Giants games, they are not very effective. It may be a different look, but what good is Justin Tuck chasing Antonio Gates while Danny Clark is man handled by the left tackle?

I think teams around the league are taking note that the 4-3 defense does not offer enough opportunities to halt elite offenses run by top-notch quarterbacks. With this, I feel that the 4-3 is slowly dying, and may cease to exist by the end of the decade.

For evidence of the effect a switch from a 4-3 to 3-4 can bring about, look no further than the Green Bay Packers. Their defense was abysmal in 2008, but a switch to Dom Capers led to them to the seventh ranked defense in terms of points, and second in total yards. This came with two key additions, a nose tackle, and a talented linebacker.

Right now, the Giants have little in the front seven that would project to a smooth transition to a 3-4. Chris Canty is the only lineman that has experience in the 3-4, dating back to his years with the Cowboys.

Transferring a 4-3 defensive lineman to a 3-4 linebacker is risky. The Broncos did so with former defensive end Elvis Dumervil, and he racked up 17 sacks in his first year in the system. Conversely, the Packers did so with Aaron Kampman, and he never was able to get into a comfort zone before suffering a season ending injury.

Osi Umenyiora would not fit the mold of a 3-4. He is too small to be an end and could be a liability if he were to be slotted as a linebacker. Mathias Kiwanuka would have similar issues.

Justin Tuck would not be able to play linebacker, but he may be efficient as an end. He isn’t small by any means, and is able to power his way to the quarterback. A player of his status may not be fond of such a switch, but if he is the team player he has portrayed himself to be, he would accept this change in stride.

As for Umenyiora, I bet there are teams out there that believe he would be able to revive his career in their system. Draft picks and possibly helpful players could be part of a trade. Kiwanuka on the other hand may be worth the experiment. His contract expires after the 2010 season and his unquestionable talent could find its way in a 3-4.

Romeo Crennel’s name has been linked with the Giants in a few reports solely based on speculation. As a coordinator who has successfully implemented his scheme without the most talented of players, he should be the Giants' top priority if they wish to convert to a 3-4.

If not Crennel, the Giants have already been linked to coaches that currently work within a 3-4. This list includes the Jets’ Bob Sutton and the Dolphins' George Edwards, both of which are linebacker coaches under the watch of Rex Ryan and Bill Parcells respectively.

It may not ensure immediate success but the Giants have to get with the times. Offenses are only getting better and a four-man front may no longer be the way to go for Big Blue.