Floyd Peters, architect of the great Minnesota Vikings defenses of the late 1980's, and John Teerlinck, regarded as one of the greatest defensive line coaches ever, helped popularize the three-technique position, which deploys a defensive tackle to the outside shoulder of a guard, thus providing him more freedom to rush the quarterback.
"We’re doing the same thing that those guys created, with Aaron," Los Angeles Rams defensive line coach Mike Waufle said, referencing Aaron Donald, widely regarded the game's best interior pass-rusher. "It's really successful for him, because he gets on the edge of guards, and it's tough on the offense when he does that.