Mike DeVito on Chiefs defense: Hybrid 3-4 / 4-3, 'complex defense to read'

With NFL free agency and all the signings we haven't stopped to take a breath and think about what the new players actually means for the Kansas City Chiefs next season. When Andy Reid first hired Bob Sutton as defensive coordinator, this is how he described his defense:

"Bob brings you that unique style that the Jets did," Reid told 810 WHB in January. "They bring everybody from the popcorn vendor on down. It's a crazy bunch, but he sure has a great reputation in the league."

Now we have Mike DeVito, new Chief and former Jet, to explain the defense to us.

"It's really different than anything I'd seen in any kind of traditional defense," DeVito told Soren Petro on The Program. "It's a hybrid 3-4 / 4-3. A lot of different fronts up front, a lot of different movements and things going on and shifts and things like that based on what the offense is doing. A lot of simulated pressure."

The 3-4 / 4-3 hybrid defense is one of those things it seems like everyone is talking about these days.

"You talk to the quarterbacks who have gone against it," DeVito continued, "Baltimore and others who have played us, it's a complex defense to read and figure out and that's what makes it so difficult to play against. The one thing we did in New York was you never knew where stuff was coming from. We would line up three guys to one side then blitz the other side. It's a tricky defense but it's a defense that's easy to play for the players, easy to learn and something that presents a lot of problems for opposing offenses."

The Chiefs defensive line is shaping up to be Dontari Poe in the middle and Tyson Jackson and DeVito on the outside. Of course, they could use some more depth along the defensive line. That depth, by the way, very well could come from the No. 1 pick in the draft. Offensive tackles are what most seem to be talking about right now but don't rule out the Chiefs eyeing a defensive lineman.

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