American Football Formations Explained: Shotgun
Shotgun
The shotgun formation takes place when the QB no longer lines up directly behind the center, but is about five yards behind him. This allows for the QB to have a better view of the field, as well as gives him more time to throw the ball. The formation has many variations, including the standard version, the spread, trips, and others. The shotgun formation was invented by Coach Red Hickey in 1960 when he coached the 49ers, though it famously led to the success of the Cowboys in the 70’s and the Bills in the 90’s. The shotgun is used primarily as a passing formation but can be used to run out of on certain occasions. Most NFL teams with great QBs operate out of the shotgun because it compliments their skillset best.
- The standard shotgun formation typically has the HB lined up next to the QB, with two wideout WRs, a slot WR, and a TE.
- The spread offense has many variations within its own category but typically results in at least four WRs spread amongst the field on both sides, thus the name. This spreads out the defense and allows for bigger areas of the field to be open for WRs to catch passes. This formation is used much more today than in the early days of the NFL.
- Trips formation is when three WRs are packed together on one side of the field. The name comes from the three, or triple, WRs. This can lead to crossing patterns at close range that aids in confusing opponents and losing a WR’s defender. Depending on which side of the field the WRs line up you may hear the play referenced as “trips right” or “trips left”.
Shotgun Formation Variations
