Neil Smith and the 3-4 Defense?
 

Do I remember right that during Dan Saleamua's time in KC, we ran a 3-4 D with Sal as our NT?

If that's right, that would mean that Neil Smith was a dominant pass-rushing DE in the 3-4. Correct?

I'm under the impression that the 3-4 DEs are not expected to generate big sack totals.

If all that's right, what's the story with Neil's stats?

Only from '88-'91. I don't know what his sack totals were those years. When Adolph came in '92, they signed Joe Phillips and switched to a 4-3.

He didn't get 15 sacks until 1993.

I didn't remember him as a 3-4, but could well be wrong. I just remember Saleaumua and Phillips at DT. Eh, what do I know?

It started with my recollection of Sal as being a NT (as opposed to a DT). And worked back from there. Per shane, I guess maybe we were playing out of position for a few years to start.

It raises the question why we were drafting a 3-4 DE at the top of the draft. I kept hearing how awful that decision is and it occured to me that we had to have done the exact same thing back in 88.

I assume that if we got 6, 8 or 9 sacks out of our LDE in the next few years, people here would be ecstatic.

DT pretty much rushed every down giving us 4 guys with their hand in the dirt.

He was pretty much a DE during that time...

Neil Smith wasn't a 5-technique defensive end. He wasn't asked to absorb blockers so that the linebackers could make plays. It's a completely different task.

Tyson Jackson doesn't even PLAY on third downs because pass rushing is his big liability.

Smith was more of a 7-8 tech, rush defensive end in the mold of Bruce Smith, Mario Williams, Reggie White, etc.

...or Suh.

Falcon!!!

Neil started in the 3-4 with Maas at NT. By the end the Chiefs were playing a 5-2 with DT outside only rushing the QB...giving Shannon Sharpe HOF numbers...The Chiefs used several MLB's and for many years Chris Martin was the all around OLB on the other side.

That's nice and all but has absolutely nothing to due with the fact that Smith was 7-tech and Jackson is a 5-tech.