Please explain the differences for us.
Sure!
For starters, Macdonald doesn't stay in the 3-3-5 all game long. It's a package that he uses, in order to be flexible. They're doing a lot more in the defensive backfield to confuse an offense than what Hauck did. Now some of that is because it's a pro team and they can study and practice all of those concepts A LOT more than what a college team has. It is a confusing defense to play against, but also to learn.
Macdonald also has some war daddies on the DL. Yes, I know that it's the NFL and there are more options available, but if he wanted smaller DL, he would get them, he's clearly doing this by choice. Hauck on the other hand preferred smaller defensive lineman because at this level, they're typically the only ones quick enough to do what he wants. Which is, shoot gaps rather than control gaps. Hauck's 3-3-5 defense is about confusion and chaos. I have seen multiple teams comment on how they knew that defense wasn't gap sound and they just needed to weather the storm. I know Tommy Mellott commented on it, pretty positive NDSU and SDSU have mentioned it as well. That is by design rather than lack of talent. I know you guys like to say that you just can't get good DT's at this level, but it's far from true. Hauck recruited what he wanted in terms of players. Macdonald's defense might be confusing, but it's very, very, gap sound. His defenses also don't blitz that much, which is a stark difference from what Hauck does.
This quote is from a Ted Nguyen article prior to the SB: "“We’re really kind of turning into like a 4-3 base team with a crazy athletic sam (linebacker), is what we are,” Macdonald told reporters earlier in the week." Another quote: "Macdonald has transitioned his Seattle scheme into a less aggressive and simpler one....That’s not to say the scheme is simple, but the complexity is in the nuances of the scheme rather than trying to run a bunch of pressure schemes 10 different ways." Ted Nguyen, btw, is an awesome read for any football fan. Highly recommend his stuff if you're an NFL fan. Now, this doesn't mean they're a simple defense, especially in the backfield, but they're also not doing crazy stuff like what Brian Flores is. Most, if not all, of the confusion for Seattle comes from the defensive backfield which I would say is the opposite of what Bobby did in Missoula.
I think the largest difference though is that Macdonald adjusts his defense to what offenses are doing, and Hauck rarely does. He stays in the 3 man front except for short distance and goal line. He sticks with what the defense does regardless of opponent or situation. For all of the confusion and chaos involved in the scheme, he's extremely rigid with what he does. Which is the opposite of what Macdonald does. I also think that for the 3-3-5 defense to be successful, you need at least one of two things: 1) Better athletes and personnel than everybody. You need some high level athletes at LB and on the DL. Hauck struggled with the latter of that portion. 2) You need a metric butt ton of time to be good at this scheme. It's just not something that college athletes are given a lot of. It's why, in general, you see defensive coaches preach that their schemes allow their players to play fast and physical, and the best way to do that is to keep the schemes simple relative to what the players can do.
Hope that explains some.
) which is the most common alignment for a nose in a 4 man front.
