Crimson Red Sports

TUSCALOOSA -- A ferocious pass rush formed in Alabama's final four games last season.

Marcell Dareus looked like a grizzly bear prancing around the Bryant-Denny Stadium grass, chasing, catching and devouring former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton at one point like a fish.

Courtney Upshaw ratcheted up his statistics as he terrorized backfields before exploding in a 49-7 Capital One Bowl win as Alabama knocked out two Michigan State quarterbacks. Upshaw finished with 15 tackles in his final two games, including 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and a quarterback hurry.

That would fit Nick Saban's definition of "affecting the quarterback."

"We went into that game just wanting to get that bad taste out of our mouths," Upshaw said. "We were real confident. I know coming into this season, as a defensive whole, I know as a team that we're just ready step up our game and get back to the top."

In Alabama's first nine games of 2010, it amassed just 11 sacks, 43 tackles for loss and 21 quarterback hurries. In the final four games: 16 sacks, 32 tackles for loss and 31 quarterback hurries.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/03/alabama_football_wants_to_beco.html

Good article.

Look out we are coming in 2011. It will be a dream year on Defense. RTR!

Like being a dominant run blocking OL and being a dominant pass blocking OL, I'd imagine there is some balance to be reached between being a dominant team against the run and short passing game and being a dominant pass rush team.

It is a balance between settling for containment while preventing the big play or placing consistent pressure of the QB hoping to force mistakes and sacks which oftentimes opens you up to the big play in the screen/short passing game due to over pursuit.

CNS's 3-4 (like most effective ones) are designed for containment to stop the short passing and/or ball control types of offenses. The 3 down lineman create difficulties with creating a pass rush from the DL. That is why the OLBs generally lead the team in sacks (if not members of the secondary from designed blitzes). The 3-4 makes a team susceptible to the inside run which is generally apparent if they lack a true 3-4 type NT who can dominate his A gap responsibilities and has the strength, size, stamina to draw the double team all game and truly clog the middle forcing plays outside which plays to the strength of the 3-4s coverage abilities and allows for a greater variety of blitzing from different personnel.

I think we can find ways to bring more pressure with out 3 down lineman, but (someone with more football knowledge than myself step in and correct me here) in doing so we may very well open up an area for the other teams to exploit as the intent is for our 3 DLmen to occupy space without giving ground as they force the plays outside for the defense to contain. If we begin to overpursue at the line of scrimmage from our front 3 as a focus, what how will that change the effect of our base D?