There are many different trends in football today - particularly that the offenses are scoring more points than ever before. The average score, according to Pro football Reference.com, in 2005 was 20 points per game. In 2012, the average score was 23 points per game. Though only three points, this incredible jump in scoring has caused many headaches among defensive coordinators as they have to create new defensive schemes to stop the offensive attacks.
In college and high school, the coaches have been running an offense called the spread. It is an up tempo offense that spreads the defense out and does not give them time huddle up and react to what happening on the field. Defenses do not have time to substitute personnel thereby putting them at a disadvantage on the field. The offense is difficult to defend because once the defense sets their formation the offensive coach on the sideline, or the quarterback, can change the play at the line of scrimmage to ensure that the offense has the correct play called.
The spread offense has many options that can be run to outwit the defense. The latest way that it is being run is from the pistol formation. According to X&O Labs.com, the pistol formation provides an offense the ability to dress up the inside zone from different formations and motions without giving away the intention of the play.
In my upcoming paper, I will discuss the importance of the running back position in the spread offense.
I loved this article! Football is evolving into almost a brand new sport holding onto the shell of what it once was. Back in the day of Butkus or even Romanowski football was a headhunter’s game. A game of “I’m going to hit you harder than you can hit me because I’m meaner than you are” and that is what won games. Today with the league trying to make the athletes safer from injuries it is now more of a game of brain rather than brawn. The spread offense gives the quarterback options when approaching the line and requires 11 smart players on the field. Again great article!
ReplyDeleteThe statistics used early in the article are from professional football, but the no huddle hurry up offense is way more popular at the college/high school level, so is that really an accurate reflection of the benefits of the spread? I do agree that the hurry up offense can allow for more scoring because it bases up the defensive coverages due to lack of time to call in a complex blitz, which would give the QB simpler reads and possibly allowing the offense to score more points. I do like the part about the pistol back and the difficulty it presents to the defense. Especially when the offense gets in a balanced look, with the back behind the QB it doesn't allow the defense to declare a strength which makes blocking assignments even easier for the O-line.
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