Shotgun formation
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The shotgun formation is a formation used by the offensive team in American and Canadian football. This formation is used by many teams in obvious passing situations, although other teams do use this as their base formation. In the shotgun, instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage, he stands at least 5 yards back. Sometimes the quarterback will have a back on one or both sides before the snap, while other times he will be the lone player in the backfield with everyone spread out as receivers. One of the advantages of the shotgun formation is that the passer has more time to set up in the pocket which gives him a second or two to locate open receivers. Another advantage is that standing further back from the line before the snap gives the quarterback a better "look" at the defensive alignment. The disadvantages are that the defense knows a pass is more than likely coming up (although some running plays can be run effectively from the shotgun) and there is a higher risk of a botched snap than in a simple center/quarterback exchange.
The formation was named by the man who actually devised the formation, San Francisco 49ers coach Red Hickey, in 1960. John Brodie was the first NFL Shotgun quarterback, who beat out former starter Y. A. Tittle largely because he was mobile enough to effectively run the shotgun. Combining elements of the short punt and spread formations ("spread" in that it had receivers spread widely instead of close to or behind the interior line players), it was said to be like a "shotgun" in spraying receivers around the field. (The alignment of the players also suggests the shape of an actual shotgun). Formations similar or identical to the shotgun used decades previously would be called names such as "spread double wing". Short punt formations (so called because the distance between the snapper and the ostensible punter is shorter than in long punt formation) do not usually have as much emphasis on wide receivers. The shotgun was utilized by New York Jets as they employed the formation during the latter part of the Joe Namath era, to give the bad-kneed, and often immobile quarterback more time to set up plays by placing him deeper in the backfield.
Starting with the 1975 season, the Dallas Cowboys used the shotgun frequently with Roger Staubach at quarterback. No other NFL teams utilized this formation during this time and it is assumed this formation was devised by Tom Landry; it became a "signature" formation for the Cowboys, especially during third down situations. Landry re-introduced the shotgun to give Staubach more time to pass as the Cowboys had a relatively young and inexperienced team that year - 12 rookies made that 1975 team. The Cowboy shotgun differed from the 49er shotgun as Staubach normally had a back next to him in the backfield (making runs possible) where Brodie was normally alone in the backfield. The shotgun was seldom used by teams during the 80's but became part of almost every team's offense in the pass-happy 90's.
In recent years, fewer and fewer teams use the shotgun since the two-deep (or Tampa) zones allow effective defense against offenses that don't or can't run the ball. Most NFL teams only use the shotgun on obvious passing downs or when they are behind and need to pass almost every down to catch up. Many college quarterbacks, such as Vince Young (now with the Tennessee Titans) who almost exclusively used the shotgun at Texas, have difficulty adapting to NFL offenses where most snaps are taken under center. The shotgun formation is often run during 2nd-and-long or 3rd-and-long situations to give the quarterback enough time before the receivers run deep routes. However, Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts often audibles to plays that use this formation to take advantage of the fast receivers like Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne to gain handsome yardage in a single play. In 2007, the New England Patriots used the shotgun with great effectiveness as a base formation for one of the most potent offenses in the history of the NFL.
Though the shotgun is a pass-dominated formation, a cleverly designed halfback draw play can put defenses off-guard and a fast halfback can get good yardage until the defense recovers from their mistake. A further development of the play is an halfback option pass, with the quarterback being one of the eligible receivers. Roger Staubach's backup and successor, Danny White, once caught such a pass for a touchdown. It was noted at the time that he was only eligible because of the shotgun formation (an NFL quarterback who takes a snap from underneath the center was and still is an ineligible receiver, a rule not found in any amateur level of American football).
At times the formation has been more common in Canadian football, which allows only three downs to move ten yards downfield instead of the American game's four. Canadian teams are therefore more likely to find themselves with long yardage to make on the penultimate down, and therefore more likely to line up in the shotgun to increase their opportunities for a large gain. Teams such as the Saskatchewan Roughriders utilize the shotgun for a vast majority of their plays.
The Nevada Wolf Pack currently employs a formation called the "pistol," in which the running back, instead of lining up next to the quarterback, lines up behind the quarterback, who in turn has lined up two to three yards behind the center.
Urban Meyer has added elements of the option offense to the shotgun offense he employed as coach at Bowling Green State University, the University of Utah, and University of Florida. This "speed option" or "spread option" offense is also used by the Missouri Tigers, Texas Longhorns, Ohio State Buckeyes, and other college teams with quarterbacks who can run as well as throw effectively.
