- The inventor of the 4-3 Defense is Tom Landry, former Dallas Cowboys Head Coach.

- This defensive scheme has been described as a better run stopping defense which bottles up the running back with quick pressure up front.

- The defensive front features four line man including two middle tackles and two end s.

- The back line features three line backers including:

- The Weak side line backer (also known as Will)

- The Middle linebacker (also known as Mike)

- And the Strong Side line backer (also known as (Sam)

Below is an illustration of the 4-3 base defense;