- published: 27 Nov 2015
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In American football, a 4–3 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of four down linemen and three linebackers. It is probably the most commonly used defense in modern American football and especially in the National Football League. NFL teams that use the 4–3 defense as of 2011 include the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and the Miami Dolphins. The Broncos returned to the 4-3 with the hiring of John Fox as head coach. The Patriots returned to the 4-3 in the 2011 NFL Season but switched back to the 3-4 during the progress of the season.
The invention of the 4–3 is often attributed to legendary coach Tom Landry, in the 1950s, while serving as the Defensive Coordinator of the New York Giants, as a way to stop Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown. Others attribute the creation of the 4–3 to Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker, Bill George. It has also been said that the 4–3 defense was a creation of Garrard "Buster" Ramsey, the Defensive Coach of the Detroit Lions teams in the 1950s.