New Offensive Formation to Try - The Pistol

[Delhommey]

Well, for those who enjoy the late college games after a day of drinking and football and have seen Nevada in action, it's not new, but the Pistol is rapidly becoming my favorite new formation in football. Alabama used it beautifully on Ingram's TD run that spurred their comeback against the Razorbacks

The first thing it helps with is that it removes any keys the defense can get from the alignment of the running back," Chris Brown of the indispensable Smart Football site told me when I asked him about the primary advantages of the Pistol (Chris has also written very well about this very subject).

"If the runner is to the quarterback's left, any run play will probably be to the right," Brown said. "From the Pistol, the run could go in either direction. Moreover, the runner is deeper and set in the middle, so he can more closely emulate the downhill actions he'd take from under center. Relatedly, play-action can look more like traditional play action -- and thus hopefully be as effective as traditional play action -- than from the normal shotgun where everything looks more like a flash fake than anything else."

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/cover-3/2010/cover-3-saturday-night-special

It allows us to run more of a spread out offense while keeping the ability to run the ball and play action almost as well as the I formation. To me, it offers the best of both worlds.

Not asking for a full change over obviously (doesn't work in this league), but it could be a way of spreading the ball out.

Only downside is it involves a creative OC.

[Guild]

Only downside is it involves a creative OC.

Maybe next year. Davidson is the antithesis of creativity. Hell look how many games it took him to use a fake smoke route pump and go to Smith.

[Mr. Scot]

New Offensive Formation to Try - The Pistol

We don't have Maurice Clarrett.

(or would that be "The Rifle"?)

[Catdaddy]

With our backs, we would get at least two to four yards per carry out of the pistol running the ball

[mav1234]

What works in college doesn't always work in the NFL. It's something to try, but I worry those extra yards behind the the line of scrimmage could allow defenses to close faster on holes in the pros.

edit: Actually, looks like he's not any further back than in the typical i formation, so mebbe it could be something to try. Doubt we'd bother though.

[Gazi]

Not with that guy in the booth

[Ruff]

While we're at it, we can try the Option Offense... Or, just run the Wildcat every play.

Maybe we can start running double reverse wide receiver passes to Jimmy Clausen.

[CLTPanther]

I'd rather us try scoring more than 1 td a game

[Ruff]

Hang on a sec. I'll get Steve Spurrier on the phone and ask him how running a college offense in the NFL worked out...

[Catdaddy]

While we're at it, we can try the Option Offense... Or, just run the Wildcat every play.

Maybe we can start running double reverse wide receiver passes to Jimmy Clausen.

We could do that like we did that one game D. Williams ran it the entire game

[Guild]

Hasn't KC already used this formation in the pros with some amount of success?

[beuer1]

Hasn't KC already used this formation in the pros with some amount of success?

Chan Gailey used it with Tyler Thigpen.

[WilkinsonDonnie]

Isnt that what J-Stew ran in college?

[Catdaddy]

Isnt that what J-Stew ran in college?

Not sure, but it's the shotgun with the running back behind the QB. The running back can be at full speed before he ever reaches the line of scrimmage