Best 3-4 Linemen?

[CreatineKasey]

I may as well put my 3-4 build.

DT

LB
LB
LB

Then however many DB's you want... minimum of 1.

[kjell1979]

This is mine:

Bronze: DE, NT, CB
Silver: DE, CB
Gold: FS

The good thing about this build is you can switch to a 4 man front for passing downs and get a decent amount of pressure.

[s38s38s]

In the 3-4 line man (in this game) rarely are the ones to get pressure, on their own. If pressure is what you're going for, then this is what I do...

Personally I find the fattest generic NT, and roll with Manley, and 2 stud pass rush LB's (one gold, one silver, or two silver), In my scheme when I choose to send my OLB, both he and Manley are one on one, and can really cause trouble for opposing teams...IMO Manley is the best Bronze Defensive player easily...he and my LB's really produce in that scheme.

[TexasBorn1]

Too Tall Jones has always been great for me in the 3-4

He's always in position to make the play because he dominates whoever he's up against

[cardinalbird5]

Quote: Originally Posted by CreatineKasey

Donovan is awesome if you want to spend a gold there. Dan Saleaumua is a great NG at the bronze level. Clyde Simmons is exceptional at bronze DE for the 3-4 system. He has bull rush and strength bonus I believe. He weighs a lot too... he's the closest thing to Aaron Smith in this game. Personally I'm still a believer that you put your talent at the linebacker level in a 3-4, even in this game. The best defense I've ever created by far is a 1995 Steelers team. I have 7 players on defense, 4 linebackers and 3 DB's. That team is so athletic it's obscene. Anyone can sack the QB and anyone can line up on the DL on passing downs. Many people believe the opposite. They believe the D-Line needs legends on it for the 3-4 to succeed. I just know what I've seen with that Steeler team.

What happens when you face someone who likes to use 3+ WR the whole game? I don't like to waste picks on more than 2 or 3 LB, because guys online run a lot of 4 or 5 wide. I'd say you should switch your weaker MLB for a solid NT.

[kjell1979]

Running 4 or 5 wide doesn't bother me that much. Having 3 stars on the line generates a lot of pressure even if they specialize in stopping the run.

[topdowninvestor2023]

If you want to run a 3-4, run a 5-2 and sub in pass rushing OLB's as the DE's lol because the D-linemen in this game don't handle the gaps correctly if it's a 3-4 and you get gashed to death by the run if the other team runs I-formation and has a decent running back. The vanilla zone blitzes also suck for a 3-4 because they drop linemen into coverage rather than just voiding the zone like the 5-2 does in the game.

Another problem is 3-4 outside linebackers don't have any moves or the leverage that they should so they usually just get stuck to the offensive tackle or they try to circle around the tackle (which takes forever) when they block them if you run a 3-4 rather than a 5-2 with OLB's subbed in as DE's. If you use the OLB's as DE's in a 5-2 instead, they'll actually beat the tackles at times because they have the leverage to blow past them since their hand is in the dirt.

The best 3-4/5-2 team I've ever built so far has Elvin Bethea subbed in as the LDT, Otis Wilson subbed in as the RDE, Carl Banks subbed in as the LDE, Ronnie Lott at Free Safety, and Joey Browner at Strong Safety. The generic D-linemen are "balanced" and the rest of the generics on defense are "coverage".