The common misconception among football fans is that any defense with four defensive linemen and three linebackers is a 4-3 Defense. For Football Coaches, we know that is not the case.
The 4-3 Defense has a very specific meaning, and in fact there are multiple forms of the 4-3 Defense. The College 4-3 Defense was the original, but is rarely seen today. The Pro 4-3 Defense is very different from what most people would think of as a 4-3 Defense, due to the tremendous athletic ability of NFL Football Players.
Today, most fans and coaches are referring to the 4-3 Over Front, also known as the Miami 4-3, when they refer to the 4-3 Defense. This is the defensive front designed by Jimmy Johnson and the Miami Hurricanes in the 1980's. Coach Johnson went on to great success in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys running essentially the same defense.
What Makes it a 4-3?
The four down linemen and the three linebackers we see today in the 4-3 Defense have very important characteristics. The entire goal of the defense is to maximize speed on the field.
The Defensive Tackles are the only traditional defensive linemen you will see on the field. The 3-Technique, who plays on the strong side of the Offensive formation, shaded on the outside half of the Guard, is the only player that has to be a big, dominating defensive lineman. The 1-Technique Nose Guard, shaded on the Center on the weak side, can be a quicker and more athletic player. We like to use wrestlers for this position.
The rest of the defense involves taking players from further back, and moving them forward.
Getting Speed on the Field
4-3 Defensive coaches in College want to recruit Linebackers from High School, and move them to Defensive End. The Defensive End position needs to be very fast, and very physical.
Height is not as important for these Defensive Ends as it would be in a 5-2 Defense. Instead, their speed and ability to run and make plays is of the utmost importance. The defense relies on fast players who have motors and will pursue to the football.
The Mike Linebacker, the center of the defense, is the one true, traditional Linebacker on the field - just like the 3-Technique on the Defensive Line. He is a plugger, someone who can still run but can take a beating. He may be colliding 30 or 40 times with the Fullback in a power running game, so he better be durable.
The Outside Linebackers, on the other hand, will be High School Safeties who get moved down to Linebacker. These players need to be able to run. They will sometimes be called upon to play man coverage on slot receivers.
The Secondary in the 4-3 Defense
The true 4-3 Defense is a 2-High Safety defense. That means that we are basing out of Cover 2 or Cover 4 (Quarters) Coverage. The two safeties are extremely physical, fast, and intelligent. They need to be able to manage the secondary and the defensive coverage on the field.
The Safeties are expected to make a lot of tackles. A key characteristic of the defense to force the ball to go sideways, and spill it out to the sidelines. The Safeties are often the box player, the player responsible for making the final tackle after the ball has been spilled to the outside. Spilling the ball is a big part of running a 4-3 Defense.
Coaches like to take physical cornerbacks and move them to the Safety position.
By maximizing the speed on the field, and following a sophisticated and specific set of rules at each position, the 4-3 Defense gains its identity and it's ability to intimidate and dominate the opponent.
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