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Breaking them down with the 3


Norman Hand and La\'Roi Glover of the Saints are defensive tackles like Abbott and Costello were comedians. Partners in the same routine with different roles.

Hand is a nose tackle. He usually is shaded to the inside shoulder of the center and takes on a lot of double-team blocks from the center and guard. He\'s a stout wide body who is expected to stand his ground.

Glover plays the \"3 technique,\" the in-vogue term for the tackle who lines up on the outside shoulder of either guard. He is a one-gap lineman responsible for the hole between the guard and tackle.

The 3 technique tackle usually is lighter and quicker and more of a playmaker. \"You want your 3 technique guy to get upfield, cause havoc in the backfield and hopefully put pressure on the passer,\" says Rams defensive line coach Bill Kollar.

More and more teams are successfully implementing a player in that role. In addition to the Saints, the revitalized Rams defense is using a 3 technique tackle; Brian Young and rookie Damione Lewis have been sharing that position so far this season. Among the other 3-technique tackles are the Buccaneers\' Warren Sapp, the Broncos\' Trevor Pryce, the Seahawks\' John Randle, the Jets\' Shane Burton and the Packers\' Santana Dotson.

Keith Millard, who played for the Vikings from 1985-91 (and later with the Seahawks, Packers and Eagles), might have been the prototype 3 technique tackle. A first-round pick out of Washington State, Millard was a part-time defensive end as a rookie in 1985 in the Vikings\' 3-4 defense.

The next season, Floyd Peters became the new defensive coordinator and the Vikings switched to a 4-3 alignment. Peters moved Millard inside to tackle.

\"He thought that because of my initial quickness I\'d serve better in there,\" recalls Millard. \"He explained it to me that it was almost like playing a defensive end position but you\'re inside. You lined up on a shoulder and basically took off on the snap of the ball.\"

But Millard never heard the term \"3 technique\" until recent years. When he played, the Vikings simply called the position -- and still do -- the under tackle.

Millard, who had a team-high 11 sacks playing as a part-time end as a rookie, led the Vikings with 10 1/2 sacks in his first season as a tackle. In \'89, he erupted for 18 -- a mark that still stands as the unofficial NFL record for most sacks by a tackle.

Tackles who play the 3 technique usually are considered pass-rushing threats. Last season, Glover (17) and Sapp (16 1/2) ranked 1-2 in the NFL in sacks, and Pryce (12) was tied for ninth.

Millard was like the driver of a dragster waiting for the green light. As soon as the ball was snapped, he shot the gap. When he watches 3 technique tackles today, he sees a different game.

\"I\'m seeing a lot more gap control as far as getting their hands on the guards,\" Millard says. \"They\'re engaging and controlling before they penetrate, whereas I slipped past the guards and penetrated immediately.\"

The 3 technique tackle and nose tackle often flip-flop sides during games, depending on the offense\'s alignment. The middle linebacker makes that call. If he waits too long, it can lead to trouble. For example, there have been instances when the two tackles have run into each other while trying to trade sides. \"It looks pretty bad,\" Kollar says.

That\'s called the kids-don\'t-try-this-at-home technique.

Dennis Dillon is a senior writer for The Sporting News.