Should a 3-4 Defense have any Defensive Ends?

Often times, in all levels of football, it is the battle between the offensive line and the defensive line that decides the outcome of the game. If the defensive line applies pressure to the quarterback or prevents the run game from working, it will cause the offensive to produce less and allow for everyone's job on the defense to be easier. If the offensive line dominates the game, it allows the quarterback time to throw the bad and open the run game for the team. Either way, the most basic way to get a winning franchise is to have a dominate line on both sides of the ball.

However, upon looking at the 3-4 defense, one must question if three defensive line can fight off five offensive linemen and still dominate the game. There is more questioning to this strategy when  of the linemen are considered defensive ends. Even so, I believe there is a better solution to creating a dominate defensive line in a 3-4 scheme. Instead of having one defensive tackle and two defensive ends, it would be better for a 3-4 style defense to have three defensive tackles. This would allow for the advantage to go to the defensive line because many times it requires two offensive linemen to hold off a great defensive tackle. This not only allows for an excuse to draft bigger linemen, but also brings fear to opposing offenses since nobody wants to face off against three defensive tackles. Although defensive tackles are typically slower, they will prevent the run game from being successful and this can give outside linebackers the chance to blitz without dealing with an offensive tackle or being one on one with a tight end, which most of the time a good linebacker can easily win.

It is not that defensive ends are not great at applying pressure or that there speed is not appreciated, it is just that the defensive end belongs in a 4-3 defense. In this case linemen get the chance to have many one on one opportunities and can have a better chance at winning. However, in a 3-4 defense,  linemen often have to face two people blocking them in cases where there is nobody blitzing, making it difficult to apply pressure or block the run game. The defensive end now loses his edge in speed by having two people blocking him, and therefore can be easily neutralized.

If a team wants to keep its defensive ends however, the easy example is to do what Wade Phillips did with the Houston Texans. He allowed Mario Williams to be an outside linebacker in the scheme, where Williams was very successful in both applying pass pressure and blocking the run attack. This is proof that you do not have to get rid of your defensive ends in a 3-4 defense, but to put them at the outside linebacker position if they are athletic enough. If they do not have the capability of dealing  with two blockers or are not athletic enough to be an outside linebacker, then chances are the best thing that player can do for your franchise is to be on the trade block.

So if your team is running a 3-4 defense and does not appear to dominant the opposing offensive line, you may want to look at the individuals on the line and decided if they belong on the line, as a linebacker, or not at all.