Free agent Stephen Paea signed with the Washington Redskins after completing a personal season best of 6.0 sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and 31 quarterback hurries for the Chicago Bears in 2014. Paea chose the Redskins over Dallas, Detroit, Denver, and Tampa Bay, in order to be a part of the Redskins’ new 3-4/4-3 hybrid defense often referred to as the 3-4 Under. This breakdown will look at how Paea fits into the Redskins new defense under Joe Barry and how he should be utilized after signing a 4 year - $21 million contract with $15 million guaranteed.
3-4 Under Defense Explained
First let’s take a look at the 3-4 Under from a conceptual standpoint. The 3-4 Under is known as a “hybrid” defense because it combines elements of the 3-4 Base defense (or Okie defense) with some of the one-gap principles of the base 4-3 Defense. In a traditional 3-4 Okie defense, the three defensive lineman are responsible for read-and-react roles since they are playing two gaps on each side of their respective offensive lineman. In order to field a top tier defense, a defensive coordinator requires larger, stouter defensive lineman to clog the running lanes to make sure the outside linebackers are free to get penetration into the backfield to put pressure on the opposing quarterbacks.… Article continues here