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re: Alabama is ranked #11 in the Preseason Coaches Poll
Posted on 8/6/26 at 7:20 pm to Hawaiian Punch
Posted on 8/6/26 at 7:20 pm to Hawaiian Punch
Who needs to step up exactly?
That’s a low bar to set for CKW and the defense line players and coaches
IMO……
For the defensive Staff to reach the decision that bringing in 4 interior DL bodies who all played exclusively in the same 3-4 Under Front that CKW chose to transition to over the past 20+ games, was the better option than continuing to play with the guys CNS recruited to play in his 4-Down/Even Front.
Imo, this also explains the “mutual” parting of ways with James Smith despite his 5-star rating coming out of high school, was that his 14 total tackles and a lone PBU in the 10 SEC games he participated in this past season (along with playing half of his snaps in the 2nd level defenders laps) simply wasn’t enough to convince CKW that he was making the wrong decision by bringing in the “unknown commodities” to replace the ones he knew very well.
This leads me to believe that I’m not going too far out on a limb by suggesting the 2026-2027 Bama Defense will be CKW’s best to date.
Let the downvotes rain down
That’s a low bar to set for CKW and the defense line players and coaches
IMO……
For the defensive Staff to reach the decision that bringing in 4 interior DL bodies who all played exclusively in the same 3-4 Under Front that CKW chose to transition to over the past 20+ games, was the better option than continuing to play with the guys CNS recruited to play in his 4-Down/Even Front.
Imo, this also explains the “mutual” parting of ways with James Smith despite his 5-star rating coming out of high school, was that his 14 total tackles and a lone PBU in the 10 SEC games he participated in this past season (along with playing half of his snaps in the 2nd level defenders laps) simply wasn’t enough to convince CKW that he was making the wrong decision by bringing in the “unknown commodities” to replace the ones he knew very well.
This leads me to believe that I’m not going too far out on a limb by suggesting the 2026-2027 Bama Defense will be CKW’s best to date.
Let the downvotes rain down
This post was edited on 8/6/26 at 8:21 pm
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Posted on 8/6/26 at 7:48 pm to Cover1Key
Is there a good place we can go to learn more about the technical stuff of this new-to-us defense you are describing?
I kind of like to study things.
I kind of like to study things.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 8:37 pm to LovetheLord
I would probably start by watching a couple YouTube videos that are available in abundance, and provide a solid explanation of a 3-4 defensive front (3-4 Under specifically). Then move on to more in-depth videos that are usually recorded at clinics that feature highly regarded coaches that have experienced a lot of success with it and why.
The other thing would be to simply look at an image of the “techniques” that show you where a 6-tech aligns compared to a 5. This would help out a LOT of fans imo that want to understand the game they enjoy following so closely.
Lastly, see what is out there on media platforms (YouTube is usually as far as you need to look), and search for a breakdown of Brent Venable’s defensive philosophy at OU…this is about as close as you get to seeing the full transition CKW has now completed by overhauling the DL that allows him to put more “Nickel” and “Strong Safety” defenders on the field than you typically see, but is starting to gain a lot of traction with the Seahawks recent success.
Hope this helps
The other thing would be to simply look at an image of the “techniques” that show you where a 6-tech aligns compared to a 5. This would help out a LOT of fans imo that want to understand the game they enjoy following so closely.
Lastly, see what is out there on media platforms (YouTube is usually as far as you need to look), and search for a breakdown of Brent Venable’s defensive philosophy at OU…this is about as close as you get to seeing the full transition CKW has now completed by overhauling the DL that allows him to put more “Nickel” and “Strong Safety” defenders on the field than you typically see, but is starting to gain a lot of traction with the Seahawks recent success.
Hope this helps
Posted on 8/6/26 at 9:46 pm to Cover1Key
What does the i mean in 4 i or insde i.
Posted on 8/7/26 at 10:22 am to LovetheLord
4-tech is head-up the Offensive Tackle and is reading the Guards first step to decide whether to maintain inside or out leverage on the Tackle that they are engaged with.
The “4i” means that the same player aligns on the INSIDE (that’s where the “i” comes from) shoulder of the Offensive Tackle so that he starts off by already having inside leverage on the Tackle. So now he is strictly a B-gap player only (no reading the Guards first step anymore) and he’s going to shoot his hands from inside-out on the Offensive Tackle instead of attacking the outside shoulder of the Guard like a 3-tech (still in the B-gap just like a 4i is a B-gap player) in an EVEN Front (traditional 2 DT’s and 2 DE’s alignment). The difference is that even though a 3-tech and 4i both align in the B-gap, a 3-tech is trying to get penetration into the backfield, whereas a 4i is supposed to “anchor” the B-gap and not attempt to go forward or penetrate into the backfield. The reason for this is that it FORCES the Offensive Guard to block OUT instead of DOWN which is far more difficult and must get assistance (a full double team usually but at least a “chip” at minimum) from that Offensive Tackle too, which means 2 blockers are forced to deal with just the 1 defender.
There are situations depending on what set the offense is in (usually it’s whether they have a player in the TE “Box” or not) that dictates whether they align as a 4 or a 4i. However much larger/longer/more width as a DT can stay in a 4i no matter what. This is why an Odd Front (any variation of a 3-4 defense) has bigger DT’s than a 4-3 defense or a 4-2-5, bc a 3-4 defense requires only 3 guys to do the job of maintaining “Gap integrity” (no open open holes for the RB to run through) that takes requires 4 guys to do. Thats why James Smith is a good player as a 3-tech B-gap player but a below average player as a 4i B-gap player.
Hope this helps
The “4i” means that the same player aligns on the INSIDE (that’s where the “i” comes from) shoulder of the Offensive Tackle so that he starts off by already having inside leverage on the Tackle. So now he is strictly a B-gap player only (no reading the Guards first step anymore) and he’s going to shoot his hands from inside-out on the Offensive Tackle instead of attacking the outside shoulder of the Guard like a 3-tech (still in the B-gap just like a 4i is a B-gap player) in an EVEN Front (traditional 2 DT’s and 2 DE’s alignment). The difference is that even though a 3-tech and 4i both align in the B-gap, a 3-tech is trying to get penetration into the backfield, whereas a 4i is supposed to “anchor” the B-gap and not attempt to go forward or penetrate into the backfield. The reason for this is that it FORCES the Offensive Guard to block OUT instead of DOWN which is far more difficult and must get assistance (a full double team usually but at least a “chip” at minimum) from that Offensive Tackle too, which means 2 blockers are forced to deal with just the 1 defender.
There are situations depending on what set the offense is in (usually it’s whether they have a player in the TE “Box” or not) that dictates whether they align as a 4 or a 4i. However much larger/longer/more width as a DT can stay in a 4i no matter what. This is why an Odd Front (any variation of a 3-4 defense) has bigger DT’s than a 4-3 defense or a 4-2-5, bc a 3-4 defense requires only 3 guys to do the job of maintaining “Gap integrity” (no open open holes for the RB to run through) that takes requires 4 guys to do. Thats why James Smith is a good player as a 3-tech B-gap player but a below average player as a 4i B-gap player.
Hope this helps
Posted on 8/8/26 at 1:53 pm to Cover1Key
quote:
the only thing that matters for a defense is to stopping the opposing offense and limiting the number of points they score.
Hahaha. Surely you jest. Yards matter to these folks. Aesthetics matter. If you aren't winning in a dominant fashion it's almost as if it doesn't count.
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