Pistol

The Pistol places the QB in a shortened shotgun position with the RB directly behind him, combining the vision advantages of shotgun with the downhill running ability of an under-center alignment. The RB can attack either gap without tipping the play direction, making it ideal for zone-read, inside zone, and RPO schemes. It has become a staple of modern offenses that want to maintain a credible run threat without sacrificing passing concepts. Chris Ault invented the pistol at Nevada in 2005, merging shotgun's pass-game advantages with the ability to run downhill like under-center formations. The 4-yard offset (vs. 7 for shotgun) creates direction-neutral running — zone plays look identical going left or right. Andy Reid hired Ault as a consultant, adopting the pistol for the Chiefs.