The 3-4 defense was a staple of New England’s defense during the 2000’s, including the team’s dynastic run from 2001-2004. In the early 2010’s, it seemed that Belichick was shifting away from the 5-man front and moving towards a 4-3 scheme. This notion was only reinforced by the prominent role of undersized tackle Chris Jones during the 2013 and 2014 seasons and drafting of penetrator Dominique Easley in 2014.

With both Jones and Easley now off of the roster (for very different reasons), as well as the additions of free-agent world-eater Terrance "Pot Roast" Knighton and 96th overall 2016 draft pick Vincent Valentine, many have speculated that New England is reverting back to its 3-4 roots.

There are a few flaws with this theory.

First, if you consider a base defense to be the defense a team fields most often, then the Patriots have been a base 4-2 team for a few years now due to the prominence of the passing game in today’s N.F.L.

Second, if you consider a base defense to be the defense a team fields against base offensive personnel groupings, then saying the Patriots are a 3-4, 4-3, or even 4-2 team is misleading. It is important to understand that Belichick never abandoned the 3-4. He has simply incorporated more four-man and hybrid front principles and uses each based on the strength of his personnel as well as opponent schemes and tendencies.

Third, number alignments are useful for little more than denoting personnel groupings considering how versatile Belichick asks his defenders to be. When declaring the construction of a defensive look, it is more comprehensive to refer to the defensive front, which is defined by player alignment, not designation.

For these reasons, this article will focus on some of the Patriots’ most commonly used defensive fronts, all of which are used with both base and sub-package personnel, and how the team’s abundance of behemoth interior linemen will affect the defensive scheme.

OVER

A 4-3 over front is characterized by the alignment of the nose and defensive tackle relative to the strength of the offensive formation. Strength is typically decided based on the alignment of the tight-end, though certain keys picked up from film-study may dictate otherwise.

The tackle traditionally lines up in a 3-technique to the strength of the offensive formation. 3-techniques are normally asked to shoot into the backfield and control one gap. This allows penetrators like Geno Atkins and Michael Bennett to blow by guards and disrupt running plays in the backfield, as their alignment makes them difficult to double-team.

The nose tackle, who controls his man and is responsible for two gaps, lines up away from the offensive strength in a 1-technique and is asked to command double-teams and free up teammates.

In previous years, New England largely stuck to this blueprint. In 2015, however, they added a few wrinkles that I predict will carry into 2016 with the team’s continued emphasis on bigger interior linemen.

During the 2015 season, the team seemed to prefer having its nose tackles shade the guard’s inside shoulder in a 2i-technique as opposed to the center’s outside shoulder. They also asked their 3-technique defensive tackle to control a gap more often than they asked him to attack, which played to the strengths of every defensive tackle not named Dominique Easley.

The Patriots have a variation of the traditional 4-3 over in which the weak-side linebacker moves down onto the line of scrimmage in anywhere from a 7- to 9-technique, as can be seen in the image above. They often use this look when facing offenses that run the read-option. This allows the linebacker to assume contain responsibilities so the backside defensive end can crash down and pursue the running back. The linebacker’s depth also puts him in a better position to defend a QB keeper or bootleg.

UNDER

Like the over, the alignment of the interior defensive linemen defines an under front. The main difference is that the nose and defensive tackle are flipped. What benefit does that give to a defense?

Well, the under is actually a hybrid front that combines 3-4 okie and 4-3 over principles. Its primary goal is to free up the middle and weak-side linebacker so they pursue ball-carriers unimpeded.

To accomplish this, the defense loads up with okie personnel to the offensive strength, including the strong-side linebacker in a 7 to 9-technique, the defensive end in a 5-technique, and the nose in a 0 to 1-technique. To the weak-side, the defense employs 4-3 personnel with the tackle in a 3-technique and the defensive end in an 7 to 8-technique.

In New England’s scheme, all of the interior linemen, including the 3-technique, are normally tasked to two-gap instead of shooting into the backfield.

EVEN

One of New England’s most prominent fronts, an even front leaves the center completely uncovered. Each defensive tackle lines up either head-up over the opposite guard or to his outside shoulder with the defensive ends lining up anywhere from a 6- to a 9-technique.

This is a popular front against zone-running teams, and Alex Kirby, author of the "Every Play Revealed" series, has a succinct explanation for why this is the case:

"Against zone teams you...want a little more depth to your front because of the different ways the offense can attack and the different holes the ball can hit on the same play."

The Patriots have a variation of this front, referred to by some as the SAW, which provides even greater depth by putting both outside linebackers on the line, as shown above.

BEAR

Another one of New England’s most heavily utilized fronts, bear is essentially an even with a nose in between the two defensive tackles. It is also the closest thing to a true 3-4 defense that the team consistently employs.

This is an intimidating front to run against because it is extremely difficult for the offense to successfully double-team opposing linemen or pull guards. This also makes the bear an effective counter to power-running teams.

Belichick usually puts at edge defender at the right defensive end spot in lieu of a defensive tackle or 3-4 defensive end, though he will sub in a bigger body if the run defense struggles. This wrinkle has been present in the hoodie’s defense for years and has seen varying degrees of success. Chandler Jones struggled against the run at times when asked to control guards, but Jabaal Sheard manned the spot with pretty consistent success.

Sheard will likely continue to line up over guards in 2016 due to his strength and pass rushing prowess. However, against teams with productive running games and lower-tier quarterbacks (looking at you, Denver), don’t be surprised to see the second-year Patriot move to outside linebacker so the defense can field the nightmarish interior combination of Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, and Terrance Knighton.

CONCLUSION

The Patriots’ recent accumulation of big-bodied two-gappers isn’t as much of a schematic overhaul as it is a philosophical tweak. Now that the Hoodie’s experiment with penetrating 3-techniques has seemingly come to an end, the team will likely rely on space-eaters who can clog running lanes and free up the team’s elite linebacker duo to make plays.

All photos courtesy of NFL GamePass