They are used primarily as running formations, often in goal line situations. Developed at Muskegon High School (MI), pronounced Muh-ski-gun, head coach Tony Annesse made his own adaptations to Paul Johnsons offense, leading Muskegon to multiple state titles. As a modern offensive system it is widely regarded as the invention of Don Markham, which revolved around the off-tackle power play, power sweep and trap. The rule also states that there must be five players on both sides of the ball. Many modern football offenses can be traced back to Yale's T Formation, especially after Halas' Chicago Bears along with . Sometimes this is a defensive end. Power RPO with Ron McKie. The following is a list of common and historically significant formations in American football. When you hear the words triple option, what comes to your mind? Today, Air Force still runs DeBerrys system, but they have evolved greatly into a multiple offense, running triple option plays from just about every formation imaginable. Many leagues require that at least four players be on each side of the kicker at the time of a kick; prior to this, an onside kick formation often had all ten of the other players on one side of the kicker. Don Markham at American Sports University. We mostly know the term triple option as the famous inside veer play that dominated college football in the 70s and 80s, then today with the military academies. However, since the defense is typically used only in the last few seconds of a game when the defensive team need only keep the offense from scoring a touchdown, giving up a few yards in the middle of the field is inconsequential. NFL quarterbacks are not necessarily good runners, and are in any case too valuable to the offense to risk injury by regularly running with the football. The Nickel defense originated as an innovation of Philadelphia Eagles defensive coach Jerry Williams in 1960 as a measure to defend star tight end Mike Ditka of the Chicago Bears. In the Diamond Formation the Quarterback will be lined up 4 yards from the Center in Shotgun formation. Combining the wishbone and run-and-shoot offenses into one cohesive offensive front has expanded the options football coaches have when considering which offense their team will execute on game day. during the beginning of the shotgun boom and we installed the shotgun in order to give our team an opportunity to outnumber teams at the point of attack. The most recent use of this formation was in 2019, when the Miami Dolphins played the Philadelphia Eagles in the second quarter on 4th and goal when Matt Haack (normally used as a punter or a placekick holder) took the snap and flicked the ball to Jason Sanders (normally used as a placekicker) for a touchdown. When the snap is taken, they make the first read, then after doing so, they move on to the second read. Is it the glory days of the Wishbone in the 1970s and 80s, or do you think of the military academies? double wing 38 sweep hb pass More extreme defensive formations have been used when a coach feels that his team is at a particular disadvantage due to the opponent's offensive tactics or poor personnel match-ups. The linemen on zone plays always step play-side to the left (the linemen on the backside of zone read step to their left). Formation: Wishbone Plays out of the Wishbone Formation. This formation is most often used on obvious passing downs in the NFL and college football though some teams use it more often, such as Texas Tech University and the New England Patriots in their record-setting 2007 season. Madden 23 Playbooks Offensive Team Playbooks. [13][14] In times when punting on second and third down was fairly common, teams would line up in the short punt formation and offer the dual threat of punt or pass. The wishbone offense, . Or Georgia Southern in recent years? Historically, this was the first major defense with 4 defensive backs, and was used to combat the passing attacks of the time. The Shotgun has become a popular option formation since Eric Crouch and the University of . The rest of the offense is far away near the sideline. This defense is a one gap version of the 34 defense. The shotgun formation is the most common offensive formation used in American football. This series is a great offense to considered! Atlanta Falcons In football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the field. The outside veer is pretty similar to the Split-T option play. It can be a handoff, a lateral or pitch, or a pass, or if the person making the decision is keeping the ball, none of the above. A combination of the 44, 62, and the 46, it is designed to stop the run and to confuse offenses. Remember Oregon with Chip Kelly? This formation, paired with the wishbone system, became known as the flexbone. 3. grizzfan 4 mo. Kickoff formations are usually in a straight line, with ten players (nine if a placeholder is used on the kickoff) lined up across the field several yards behind the ball. To counter Brown's attack, Owen installed a 614 defense, with his ends, Jim Duncan and Ray Poole, "flexing," or dropping back as linebackers. The Chicago Bears of the mid-1980s famously used defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry as a fullback in this formation. YouthFootballOnline.com. ", The 5-3 defense consists of five defensive linemen, three linebackers, and three defensive backs (one safety, two corners). Along with this split back approach, these teams would also at times use a tight-end or fullback in an H-back, or sniffer back alignment, which is in front of the QB offset to the left or right. The "split T" spreads the offensive line out over almost twice as much ground compared to the conventional T formation. This offense was originated with Chris Ault at the University of Nevada, Reno. The original 6-1 was invented by Steve Owen in 1950 as a counter to the powerful passing attack of Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns. Barry Switzer's wishbone offense, Bill McCartney's I-Bone, and Tom Osborne's I-Option are the types of offenses that made the option quarterbacks households names. If offenses grew wise to the drop back, the ends could pass rush instead. [25] The New England Patriots used a variation of the formation by placing a (legally declared) eligible-numbered receiver in the ineligible tackle position; the confusion this caused prompted the league to impose a rule change prohibiting that twist beginning in 2015. hhpatriot04. There are several different variations of the 43 defense such as the 4-3 under defense, 4-3 over defense, 4-3 umbrella defense, 4-3 swim defense, and 4-3 slide defense. With run-pass options, you have an almost limitless combination of triple option read styles. The fourth back is most commonly employed as an extra wide receiver. To defend punts, the defensive line usually uses a man-on-man system with seven defensive linemen, two cornerbacks, a linebacker and a kick returner. A variation of the ace is known as the spread formation. It allows defenses more flexibility in man to man coverages and zone blitzes. Rockne's innovations with this formation involved using complicated backfield shifts and motion to confuse defenses, and adapting it as a passing formation. . By having the mass of runners in the center it creates an unbalanced field of 8 verses 7 throughout the entire game. In most cases, one of those two players is the person taking the snap. The slot-backs are moved out wider, into more twin/slot receiver looks, with the QB in a VERY short shotgun snap, usually about 2.5 yards, three at most. All else is "variations. Most field goals feature nine offensive linemen (seven on the line, both ends in the tight end position, with two extra slightly off the line of scrimmage), a place holder who kneels 7 or 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and a kicker. In 2008, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey began using the Pistol prominently in their offense, and are the first NFL team to do so. 22 Dive (Wishbone) 24 Blast (Wishbone) 26 Off-Tackle (Wishbone) 28 Sweep (Wishbone) 23 Counter (Wishbone) 25 Cutback (Wishbone) 29 Weak Sweep (Wishbone) The eighth defensive back in this case is usually a wide receiver from the offense. If the DE attacks the dive, the QB pulls. The Double Tight Wishbone Offense. The DT's are the only down lineman. Shaughnessy thought he would make a great receiver but already had two great receivers in Tom Fears and Bob Shaw. The Double Wing is combination of the I, which Markham initially ran the offense from in his earlier days, and the Wing-T 30 Series (Power Series). The veer play itself (also known as inside veer) is a simple scheme: Double team/block down inside the hole, then everyone else to the backside base blocks. A modern example of the "pro-set" can be seen in the Florida State University offense, which favors a Split Backs formation. This will allow your players to adapt to and learn the system Just like the old days, the college football world was focusing all of its attention on an offensive system born way back when Army was the national power that Oklahoma is now. This is the key to the offensive formation, as it means that there are technically three players in the backfield who can carry the ball on any given play. It took the motion and run-strength of the single wing, and the QB-under-center from the T. In this variation, there is only one wing back, with the other back lined up next to the fullback on the opposite side from the wing back. Full Frame: Michael Phelps Goes Fishing. Half dollar defenses are almost always run from a 308 formation. The "kneel" or "victory" formation was developed in the 1978 NFL season after The Miracle at the Meadowlands, a botched final play in a game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles that resulted in a fumble and a pivotal last-second score. The pitch back is the third read. This link shows all sorts of schemes from Johnsons system. Shotgun. The A-11 offense combines the Emory and Henry with the wildcat, in that either of the two backs in the backfield can receive the snap and act as quarterback. However, the Wing Back may also line up diagonally from the Tight End. On zone, the back is reading the blocks, and is making a read as to which direction to take the ball. Now that defensive schemes have been designed to stop the "West Coast" offense, I . In the NFL, this formation was the basis of the run and shoot offense that was popular in the 1980s with teams such as the Detroit Lions and the Houston Oilers but has since fallen out of favor as a primary offensive philosophy. Arizona Cardinals. The Shotgun formation, originally called the Lonesome Quarterback, was an invention by Pop Ivy while coaching in the CFL, although Red Hickey, coach of the San Francisco 49ers is credited with bringing it to the NFL in 1960 and renaming it the Shotgun. This formation utilizes three running backs (a fullback and two halfbacks) and got its name from backfield alignment. This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. It is because of this that the secondary safety in a football defense is called a free safety rather than a weak safety. The other players that are not on the line of scrimmage can either act as tight ends or wide receivers. WhatIf's Dynasty College Football Sim - The Ultimate Fantasy Football Games - Coach your favorite college team - Recruit players, set game plans and dominate The second is by converting the ends of a wide tackle six to safeties (the defensive ends of a wide tackle six already have pass defense responsibilities). In this formation, the linemen often line up directly in front of the offensive line, while the linebackers "shoot the gaps". [30] It was called the "Umbrella" defense because of the four defensive backs, whose crescent alignment resembled an opened umbrella, and the tactic of allowing the defensive ends to fall back into pass coverage, converting the defense, in Owen's language, from a 614 into a 416. If youre thinking of the military academies or that classic under-center triple option, you could easily argue that these programs are not doing that, and you would be correct. The Notre Dame Box differed from the traditional single-wing in that the line was balanced and the halfback who normally played the "wing" in the single-wing was brought in more tightly, with the option of shifting out to the wing. The fact is triple options are so much more than that. Fielding Yost and Pop Warner referred to the old T Formation as the Regular Formation.. This has disrupted the timing of some defenses with the way the quarterback hands the ball off to the halfback. The shotgun can distribute its 3 other backs and 2 ends any number of ways, but most commonly employs one running back, lined up next to the QB, one tight end and three wide receivers. There are no rules regarding the formation of defensive players or their movement before the snap of the ball as the choice of when to snap the ball is that of the offense which would consequently deprive the defense of an opportunity to take a set position. Army and Navy both currently run Paul Johnsons system, and Johnson also ran it at Georgia Tech. This is the base defense of some teams. They started by innovating their own toss sweep series called the rocket toss, then later borrowed ideas from Fisher DeBerry at Air Force, including the inside veer and midline veer. It has a balance of passing, which is predominantly play-action in nature. We love that situation because so many teams, particularly in pistol and shotgun alignments, are using their best athlete at quarterback. An unusual formation, the swinging gate consists of a center all alone with the quarterback lined up behind him in shotgun. Today, Tony Annesse is the head coach at Ferris State University (MI), and he has since adapted his offense to more modern concepts that are popular in college football, like RPOs, which this article will get to shortly. The two backs line up either in a line (hence the name of the formation since it looks like a letter I) or with the fullback "offset" to either side. 11 personnel (1 back, 1 TE, 3 WRs), with the TE playing as the H or Hybrid back position. Many variations are possible on both sides of the ball, depending on the strategy being employed. The quarterback can receive the snap and choose to throw a forward pass to the center or turn and throw a pass or lateral to a back opposite the field from him and the center. A perfectly symmetric formation, we bring our halfback up to play as the second wing back, with our full back lined up directly behind the quarterback. It can be run with two tight ends, one tight end and one wide receiver, or two wide receivers. You see teams running a steady dose and combination of inside zone, outside zone, power, and counter. Now almost everyone has shotgun or pistol alignments. Some systemic differences across teams. Darrell K. Royal's Wishbone offense relied on star fullback . Either keep, or pitch to that extra receiver or back. Now, rather than having a pitch back coming from behind the QB, put that pitch back as a wide receiver out by the sidelines, to the outside of that second unblocked defender. This causes the defensive line to also spread out, creating gaps the offense can exploit.[3]. The offense was an immediate success, and Texas won the national championship in 1969 running a wishbone / option system. The Wishbone, or simply the "Bone," formation is shown below (thanks Wikipedia). "This Army team is . Think of your typical triple option: You read the first defender on or outside the tackle for hand off or QB keep. Both offenses also developed secondary veer plays as well, most notably the outside veer, considered by many as the most difficult veer play to stop. One is by removing a linebacker from the standard 43 to add the extra defensive back. It'll take a little more time, but you will create a positive vibe for blockers and instill the pride that they can do it. Into the 80's, Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry was looking for a way to make his Wishbone offense more "flexible." One of the major setbacks of the wishbone is that there are only two players, the two . He brought the philosophy with him to the Buffalo Bills in 2010. It was subsequently adopted by many other college programs in the 1970s, including Alabama and Oklahoma, who also won national titles with variations of the offense. This formation is much more popular than it was in the early days of football, as the NFL has grown away from being run-dominated into a pass-heavy league. It appeared in the early thirties as a response to the improving passing offenses of the time, particularly the T formation. It was functionally replaced by the more versatile 43. The wildcat gives the runner a good look at the defense before the snap, allowing him to choose the best running lane. A noticeable difference from the other teams lined up in the double-wing formation was the lack of line splits across the front. One unique factor about this formation, depending on the exact alignment, is that the center can be an eligible receiver if he is the farthest outside on the line of scrimmage. Two tight ends line up on the same side as the flanker. This article is going to further define what a triple option is, and some of the more common styles or families of executing them. This formation typically has no wide receivers, and often employs 3 tight ends and 2 running backs, or alternately 2 tight ends and 3 running backs. Veer schemes typically have linemen with their weight far forward, and lunging out, almost on all fours to block the defense, using mostly shoulders to block or pin defenders. Most offensive systems that employ the wishbone use it as their primary formation, and most run the ball much more often than they pass. Then you read the next defender outside for QB keep or pitch. An option play in most football terminology is a play designed to be a run, where whoever takes the snap is making a post-read decision on giving the ball to one of two players. Again, even though this is a quick-hitting play, QBs and receivers must do their post-snap jobs. [41] The other feature of the 46 was the placement of both "outside" linebackers on the same side of the formation, with the defensive line shifted the opposite way with the weak defensive end about 1 to 2 yards outside the weak offensive tackle. The base backfield has two backs to either side of the QB. Therefore, the deployment and tactics of defensive players are bound only by the imagination of the play designer and the line of scrimmage. If the opposite team is a good passing team, outside linebackers are usually called on to defend slotbacks. [43] The differences between the Oklahoma 5-2 and the 3-4 are largely semantics. Gun T an RPO System Kenny Simpson 2020-05-12 The Gun T RPO system is now available for coaches wishing to see Coach Simpson's offense. The two remaining backs, called wingbacks or slotbacks, line up behind the line of scrimmage just outside the tackles. It is used exclusively as a change of pace due to its inherent limitations, namely that the tackles cannot receive forward passes or advance downfield despite their positioning, and that the diminished interior line makes the quarterback vulnerable to a quickly-arriving pass rush. They proudly claimed the name of this variation, the ski-gun.. The power spread offense is designed to be very simple to run and install. Below are some of the most popular defensive formations through the history of football. If they run option in my humble opinion you have to assign players for each. Another variation of the single wing was the A formation. Developed at Hawaii in the early 1990s, Paul Johnsons flexbone option offense is what most fans today think of in terms of triple option teams. The dive back plunges forward, while the QB opens, facing to the right, reading the backside DE. Paul Johnsons flexbone evolved differently than DeBerrys at Air Force. Wishbone Option Offense. The zone read can be a triple option play! The Pistol can also feature the option play. Following are some YouTube links with more insight on the Split-T offense: Developed in the 1960s, the Veer and Wishbone offenses feature what most think of when you hear the word triple option. The Veer and the Wishbones core play wasthe veer. A formation similar to the Flexbone, though much older, is known as the "Delaware Wing-T" was created by longtime University of Delaware coach and NCAA Rules Committee chairman David M. Nelson, and perfected by his successor Tubby Raymond. Be as simple or complex as you want with simple tags.Motions and shifts. The whole system can be installed within 3 - 5 days and then you get reps, reps, reps. The number of upbacks and gunners can vary, and either position can be replaced by a tight end in a "max protect" situation. It puts "eight men in the box" to stop the run, but it sacrifices deep coverage against the pass, especially if the opponent's receivers are better athletes than the cornerbacks. [24] Instead of the conventional grouping of all five ineligible offensive linemen in the middle of the formation, the Emory and Henry spreads the tackles out to the edge of the field along with two receivers or slotbacks, creating two groupings of three players near each sideline. The formation features several stop-gaps in the event the quarterback does lose the ball: a seven-man line, the quarterback, two upbacks (running backs) immediately behind him, one at each side in the event he fumbles, and a fast player (usually a wide receiver or cornerback) several yards back as a last resort in case the defense recovers and is able to advance the ball. It also allows for ten offensive players to block, unlike in a conventional running play, in which the quarterback is usually not involved after delivering the ball to a running back. [42] A later evolution of the original 5-2 is the Oklahoma 52, which ultimately became the professional 3-4 when the defensive ends of the original 5-2 were substituted over time for the outside linebackers of the 34. This may tell the defense you are running the ball, but it also allows for a lot of blockers. Eight players on the receiving team must be lined up in the 15-yard "set up zone" measured from the receiving team's restraining line 10 yards from the ball. In the wishbone there are three running backs, two halfbacks and a fullback. [11] For example, Dutch Meyer at TCU, with quarterback Sammy Baugh, won a college national championship in 1935 with a largely double wing offense.[12]. Others attribute the origins to Hugh Wyatt, a Double Wing coach (See Double Wing discussion below). The Philosophy: The double tight wishbone's main concept is running the football every down to punish the defenders. Though first used as a base defense by the New York Giants in 1956, plenty of teams experimented with it during the 1950s, and thus there are multiple claimed inventors of this defense. The read defender is now the first defender on or outside the play-side guard. The Emory & Henry formation was revived in the 1990s by Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, who coined its commonly used name when he explained that he'd seen Emory and Henry College run it in the 1950s.