‘Tweeners’ finally fit in, thanks to 3-4

Friday, April 22, 2005 | 10:01 a.m.

SUN WIRE SERVICES

There was a time when players such as Maryland defensive end Shawne Merriman entered the NFL draft with a scarlet letter hanging from their necks: T.

As in "tweener," the definition of which is being a bit too small to become a certifiable defensive end in the big boys' league and a bit too inexperienced or too slow to make the move to outside linebacker.

No more. That's because more and more teams are making the move from the 4-3 defense (four down linemen and three linebackers) to the 3-4 (three linemen, four linebackers), a tip of the hat to the success of the mostly 3-4 New England Patriots, who've won three of the last four Super Bowls.

"Some people find that maybe a 'tweener' is not so good," Merriman says. But "I'm seeing that a tweener is an excellent thing these days."

Few teams used the 3-4 before last season. But the AFC's Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers all relied on it as their primary defensive scheme last year. And now that NFC teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are looking to make the shift, draft priorities have shifted regarding some defensive prospects.

That's a big reason 20 or so college linemen also joined in linebacker drills at the NFL scouting combine.

"The question always is, do you take somebody that is undersized and has been a defensive end and has rushed and put him in a 3-4?" says Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese, whose team uses the 4-3. "Or do you try to make him a traditional outside linebacker more in a 4-3 scheme? Or do you just leave him alone and let him be a nickel defensive end?"

Smith, 20, is a 3-5 favorite at Costa Rica-based Bodog Sports Book, meaning a correct $5 wager would win $3. Rodgers, from the University of California, is listed at 4-3. Smith is 5-6 and Rodgers 10-11 at Betcom Online Sports Book, which is also based in Costa Rica.

Round 1 consumed 5 hours, 24 minutes a year ago with the 32 teams allowed 15 minutes each.

ESPN televises live from noon ET through 5:30 p.m. before handing off to ESPN2 through the end of Round 3 around 10 p.m. ESPN picks it up again Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the final four rounds. ESPNU on Saturday will focus on how the draft affects colleges.

"We wake up Saturday morning ready to rock and roll," San Diego Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said earlier this week.

Presumably, so will the San Francisco 49ers, who have the top pick.

For teams such as the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, who don't choose until the 32nd and final pick of the first round, there is a sense of certainty.

"I think there are certain players that we know are clearly out of our range and there is no way, even if the player dropped, he would be anywhere close to where we would be," Pats coach Bill Belichick says. "Not that we haven't scouted those players, (but) we have put a lot less time and energy into them compared to the other players."