LA Rams News: 3-4 Defense Won’t Alter Aaron Donald’s Prowess

Aaron Donald numbers playing as a left tackle in the Los Angeles Rams’ 4-3 defense speak for themselves.

The interior lineman out of Pitt has averaged 54.3 tackles and 9.3 sacks during his three years in the Rams’ 4-3. He’s forced four career fumbles, and he had a career-high five pass deflections in 2016.

So when incoming defensive coordinator Wade Phillips quickly announced that he would change Los Angeles’ scheme to a 3-4 base, concern grew over the effect that change would have on Donald, a three-time Pro Bowler.

According to Pro Football Focus (h/t RamsWire), not much. Not much at all.

“When the 3-4 was first in vogue back in the 1990s, it was a two-gap system…4-3 defenses were typically one-gap schemes with smaller bodies up front that attacked gaps and won with penetration, while the 3-4 was a system where the linebackers, not the defensive linemen, were the stars, and the big bodies up front controlled multiple gaps without over-committing to either one.

Today’s 3-4 defenses are very different animals, and predominantly one-gap systems, just like the 4-3. The NFL is generally a one-gap league these days, and there is very little two-gapping deployed as the league has trended towards smaller, quicker players across the board…”

Not only that, PFF says, but also defenses only play in their base formations about 27 percent of the time. They play in nickel 55 percent of the time to combat today’s pass-happy offenses. That fact also dilutes the significance of switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4.

For Donald, as well as Rams fans, acquiring Phillips is a boon because he will devise ways to maximize Donald’s talents.

We may discover differently in September, but in February, Phillips presence on the Rams coaching staff seems to be a home run for Donald and the rest of the L.A. defense.

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