Shotgun
Universal Backfield Alignment
11 Personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR)
QB 5-7 yards behind center. Red Hickey named it with the 1960 49ers. Tom Landry revived it in 1975 to protect a young Cowboys OL. It now accounts for 70%+ of all NFL offensive snaps. The built-in dropback eliminates footwork requirements, provides superior pre-snap vision, and benefits both immobile pocket passers and scrambling QBs. Its critical weakness is inferior play-action, under-center fakes are far more deceptive.
Strengths4
- Strength: Accounts for 70%+ of NFL snaps, universal alignment
- Strength: Eliminates dropback footwork requirements
- Strength: Superior pre-snap vision and defensive reads
- Strength: Benefits both immobile and scrambling QBs
Weaknesses3
- Weakness: Inferior play-action, under-center fakes are far more deceptive
- Weakness: Interior DL pressure collapses the pocket from inside
- Weakness: Cannot run downhill as effectively as under-center formations