I think it was mostly a 30 front meaning 3 DL and the 4th you counted was the olb they’d bring up close to the Los. The olb is considerable smaller than a DL to defend the run. Also, on passing downs, a lot of times the lb at the line (you’re 4th counted) would drop back in coverage and the 3 DL would rush.

My concern is primarily the run defense. The 3 DL alignment leaves bigger gaps over the guard spots than a 4 DL alignment, with usually just the mlb to help, so often times it’s 5-6 blockers on 3-4 defenders. The olbs will usually try and hold the edge which doesn’t help a lot on middle runs. This is particularly an issue on short downs where they only need a yard or two. The mlb is 4-6 yards back and not going to likely cover the space to help stop the gain.

I don’t think we are using our lbs as well as we should, or like a Mendenhall defense does. We need to disguise and bring them on both some run and pass blitzes to keep the offense guessing more, and if nothing else move more defenders closer to the Los and in the box on obviously run downs. It’s not too hard to pick apart a defense that runs the same 1-2 zone schemes without mixing in enough blitzes or coverages. Ever notice that Tuiaki is always giving the same sign when they show him on the sideline

It doesn’t look like this coaching staff knows how to use an effective 3-4 or 3-3-5, or at least it’s not very sophisticated. Of course regardless of the defense you still need playmakers. Last years defense had at least two more with Corbin and Takitaki, and a cb they trusted more in Wilcox.