A Formation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In American football, the A-formation was a variation of the single-wing formation used with great success by the New York Giants of the 1930s and early 1940s. This formation was master-minded by legendary Giants coach Steve Owen and relied heavily upon Hall of Fame center Mel Hein for its success.
The A-formation differed from the traditional single-wing in that the quarterback played further back from the line and closer to the center. It also place the backfield opposite the "strong" side of the unbalanced line, providing more flexibility in the running game (though less power). The wingback is on the opposite side compared to the single-wing and the quarterback is the primary passer, rather than the tailback. The name stemmed from the fact the arrangement of the backs resembled an "A" from the defense's perspective, with the fullback at the top of the A.
One major advantage of the A is the center could snap the ball to any of three players; typically to the fullback or blocking back for runs and the quarterback for passes. It took a great center like Hein to run the formation -- this is why only the Giants used this set-up with any frequency. This gave the Giants an advantage in that teams had to prepare specifically to defend the A whenever they played New York.
Coach Owen experimented with the A from the early 1930s on. Mel Hein joined the Giants in 1931, but Owen didn't use the A full-time until 1937. The Giants, using the A, became the first team to win their second official NFL championship games when they defeated the Green Bay Packers 23-17, adding this 1938 title to their 1934 defeat of Chicago. Green Bay ran the Notre Dame Box, another unique single-wing variant. The 1938 win was the last time the A brought the Giants a title, however, as George Halas' modern T-formation began to dominate professional football after 1940. Mel Hein retired after the 1945 and he proved impossible to replace. The Giants and their A-formation were beaten for the NFL championship by the Chicago Bears and the T in 1941 and 1946. Owen finally installed the T-formation as the Giants' base offense in 1948. No other team used the A formation in the NFL and the offense is extinct today.
