The Tite 3-4 Defense - What You Need To Know

Hello Coach,

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So let’s get started…

What is the Tite Front?

The term “Tite” refers to the alignment of the three down linemen in the front, with both defensive ends in a 4i and the nose in a head up zero technique.

This means a defense has a few different options for how they play their linebackers behind this look. With the traditional 3-4 look like Coach Manes plays, you’ll have both inside backers aligned at depth behind the guards.

Illustration or diagram depicting a traditional 3-4 defensive formation. In this setup, both inside linebackers are aligned at depth behind the guards, demonstrating the typical positioning of linebackers in the formation.

Other teams like playing a “stacked” look where each lineman has a linebacker “stacked” behind them at depth. Both looks can be referred to as a Tite front.

Illustration or diagram depicting a defensive formation with a 'stacked' look or Tite front. In this setup, each defensive lineman has a linebacker positioned directly behind them at depth, demonstrating the stacked alignment of linebackers behind the defensive line.

In this clinic series, Coach Manes will go in depth about the 3-4 style of Tite Front, and all the coverages, fronts, and pressures he teaches with it.

The Two Ways to Coach Defensive Ends in the Tite Front

Let’s start up front (where else?) to talk about the Tite front.

There are two main ways to coach the defensive ends in this scheme, so let’s review them…

React-Attack

This all starts by coaching the DE to play through the hips and hands. He should have his inside hand on the V of the neck of whoever he’s playing across from, and his outside hand on that outside shoulder.

Coach Manes teaches this as “See what you hit”.

If I’m DE in the Tite front, I’m reading the tackle’s inside hip across from me, keeping that guard in my peripheral vision. If the guard pulls away, or if he doubles me, or if I get full flow to me, I can react accordingly.

Other coaches like to read the outside hip of the guard, but Coach Manes feels like the way he does it is simpler for his kids to learn and execute.

Attack-React

The “Attack-React” style is the opposite of this.

You’re slanting and ripping into gaps, looking for depth and penetration, and you’ll start chasing the ball once you get that 2-3 yards of depth you’re looking for.

This is useful if you’ve got smaller kids up front, and not “true” 3-4 style defensive linemen. As a result you’ll have to be more aggressive up front instead of waiting for those offensive linemen to come to you.

There is nothing set in stone that says you have to play React-Attack only in the Tite front. You can definitely do both, but Coach Manes (and a lot of other coaches) prefer to major in React-Attack.

Let’s talk about why.

You’re slanting and ripping into gaps, looking for depth and penetration, and you’ll start chasing the ball once you get that 2-3 yards of depth you’re looking for.

This is useful if you’ve got smaller kids up front, and not “true” 3-4 style defensive linemen. As a result you’ll have to be more aggressive up front instead of waiting for those offensive linemen to come to you.

There is nothing set in stone that says you have to play React-Attack only in the Tite front. You can definitely do both, but Coach Manes (and a lot of other coaches) prefer to major in React-Attack.

Why Dave Aranda prefers React-Attack in the Tite Front

Dave Aranda, Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and many others prefer the React-Attack approach. To understand why, we need to go back to the whole purpose of playing the Tite front.

The Tite front is the modern adaptation of the Buddy Ryan Bear Front. While the double three techniques in the 46 defense were designed to stop 2-back teams, the double 4i techniques in the Tite front are designed to stop one-back teams.

Coach Dave Arenda prefers React-Attack in the Tite Front.

The end goal is the same for both: Keep the inside linebackers free to pursue the ball carrier and prevent the offensive line from getting off double teams and sealing those guys off.

But what does that have to do with Attack-React?

Well the problem with being overly aggressive and slanting too much is that it usually ends up defining the responsibilities for the O-Line very quickly. This can result in the offensive linemen coming off doubles quicker, giving them more time to get to the second level and get to those linebackers.

This defeats the whole point of getting in the Tite front.

On the other hand, when Coach Manes plays a React-Attack style up front, it tends to muddy up the picture for the offensive line, meaning that those linemen get off the combo blocks even slower and giving his linebackers more time to diagnose the play and get to the ball.

That doesn’t mean Attack-React can’t work…

As we mentioned before, it doesn’t mean it can’t work, it just means it works in fewer situations.

Maybe you’re playing against an offensive line that isn’t very athletic and struggles to get to the second level. When analyzing the opponent O-line, ask yourself how often they’re making it to the second level.

If the answer is “not very often” then you can get away with a lot more slanting because it has no bearing on whether or not your linebackers stay free.

This will change from game to game depending on your opponents and your personnel.

Most of the kids Coach Manes has at the defensive line are short and stocky, but he also has quite a few wrestlers who are powerful and play through their hips and hands well. This is a great recipe for success with the React-Attack approach.

Four Ways to Coach the Nose

Now let’s talk about the man in the middle.

The nose in this defense should be your strongest and most powerful lineman off the ball.

Coach Manes goes through the four different ways you can coach up the nose in the clinic, and these may change from year-to-year, game-to-game, or even player-to-player depending on who you have in at that nose position at any given time.

So let’s go over them:

1. 2-Gap

This is the old-school way of coaching up the nose in the 3-4.

We refer to it as the “board drill” technique. He’ll line up head-up over the center, and wherever the ball bends, he’ll lock, peek, and shed A-gap to A-gap.

Most schools won’t have a ton of people who can do that, but this is how a lot of “prototypical” nose tackles would be coached up for years and years in this defensive scheme.

Illustration or diagram depicting a nose tackle lining up head-up over the center in a 3-4 defensive scheme. The image demonstrates the 'board drill' technique, where the nose tackle controls both A-gaps by locking, peeking, and shedding depending on the direction of the ball.

2. “Lag” Technique

Now we get to the most common way the nose is coached today. The nose will still be head up, playing that board drill technique. He’s playing into the chest of the center, and whichever direction the center goes he’s just falling back and taking away the cutback lane.

Illustration or diagram depicting a nose tackle employing the 'Lag' technique in a defensive scheme. The nose tackle lines up head-up over the center and plays into the chest of the center. As the center moves, the nose tackle falls back to take away the cutback lane.

3. “Push” Technique

This is the opposite of the “Lag” technique we just covered in #2, but it starts out the same way.

This time, whichever way the center goes, the nose will fight the pressure over the top into the gap. He can either fight over the top by ripping or he can also press that center into the gap and make his move from there.

Illustration or diagram depicting a nose tackle employing the 'Push' technique in a defensive scheme. The nose tackle lines up head-up over the center and reacts to the center's movement by fighting the pressure over the top into the gap. The nose tackle can either fight over the top by ripping or press the center into the gap and make his move from there.

4. Slanting

This is the “cheapest” way of causing confusion and mayhem on the opponent offensive line, and most teams do some form of this.

Usually Coach Manes will run these slants with his second nose, who on his roster is a shorter but more explosive athlete than the starting nose.

The thing you have to make sure of is that your inside linebackers understand how their responsibilities change when the nose slants in one direction or the other.

In this diagram, if the nose slants strong, your Mike becomes the “Flow” player, and the Will is responsible for the weak side A-gap.

Having a right/left or strong/weak call is a simple way to add another layer to all the things that opponent offense has to prepare for.

Illustration or diagram depicting a defensive slanting technique. The diagram shows the defensive nose tackle slanting towards the strong side of the offensive formation. As a result, the Mike linebacker becomes the 'Flow' player, flowing with the slant of the nose tackle, while the Will linebacker is responsible for the weak side A-gap. The diagram highlights the coordination and responsibility shifts among defensive players based on the slanting movement of the nose tackle.

Learn about the Tite 3-4 Defense and its key components, including the Tite Front alignment and coaching strategies for defensive ends and the nose tackle. Coach Manes explains React-Attack and Attack-React techniques, along with insights into coaching linebackers in this defensive scheme.

This is just a small sample of all the information you can find in the incredible resource that Coach Manes has put together.

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The Tite 3-4 Defense – What You Need To Know