Defensive fronts
4-3 front
Four down linemen and three linebackers.
A 4-3 front puts four hands in the dirt with three linebackers behind them. The four linemen generate the pass rush on their own, which lets all seven other defenders drop into coverage.
It is a gap-sound structure against the run and the base most coordinators still teach from.
Diagram
Related terms
- 3-4 frontThree down linemen and four linebackers, with pressure coming from the outside backers.
- Nickel frontFive defensive backs on the field — the most common alignment in the modern NFL.
- Defensive line techniques (0 to 9)The 0 through 9 numbering that describes where a lineman lines up, from a 0-technique nose over the center to a 9-technique out past the tight end.