Talk:Shotgun formation

Changes
12/15/04 edit made in view of, for instance, Northwestern U.'s varsity, offense built around a running option between tailback & running back. But let's not reference particular current teams, as such info goes stale too quickly.

robgood@bestweb.net 12/15/04

In every level of football I have ever seen the ball is snapped to the Quarterback in the Shotgun, not the tailback. In variations of the Singlewing, the ball may be snapped to the Tail(or half)back. If we're talking of the "Shotgun" then the ball is snapped to the QB. In other similar formations (singlewing as mentioned above) the ball is commonly snapped to a tail/half back. It is sometimes directly snapped to a tail/half back in the shotgun, but on the vast majority of plays the ball is snapped to the QB. 22:55, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Quarterback?
Sorry, but if you're standing several yards back of center, by definition you're not quarterback. Perhaps you ordinarily take the snap right from under center, in which case you're QB, but if you instead take the snap in shotgun formation, in that formation you're not QB, but are probably (there might be another back behind you) tailback. There is no quarterback in a shotgun formation. -- robgood@bestweb.net 2/2/05

No, actually the position you are playing is quarterback. Regardless of where he lines up a widereciever is a widereceiver. Whether he is lined up at split end, flanker, in the slot, where ever he is a widereceiver. No matter what the playbook decides to denote you as (H-back, z, x, y, flanker, split end, etc) you are playing a certain position.

["Position" means "place". -- RG]

It's semantics, but in common usage, meaning 99% of the time that player is a quarterback. Since it's your article, I'll leave it like it is. Take it and run with it.


 * Heh...or PASS with it. But seriously, here's someone who uses it correctly: http://members.atlantic.net/~gilbertr/b-9703ax.htm -- robgood@bestweb.net 3/23/05

for robgood
Perhaps, historically(1950's or 60's perhaps), by definition the recipient of the snap in the shotgun formation was called "tailback" or more properly "halfback", but today on offense, the positions are defined by what role the player has, not by where he stands. So a player who is listed as a quarterback on the roster who normally passes the ball does not magically become a halfback when he is in shotgun formation. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's still a duck even if it's out of the water. On defense, if a safety cheats up to the line of scrimmage before the snap and blitzes, he's not a defensive end rushing the passer, he is a safety who is blitzing.

Furthermore, in the official NFL rules, the position a player has is designated by the number range. 1-19 is either a quarterback, punter, or kicker. 20-49 is reserved for backs other than quarterbacks (offensive and defensive). Jcam 01:53, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

Tailback
At least as late as the 1970s there was a fictional TV program concerning children playing touch football, and because they all used a deep snap they referred to the position as tailback.

I recognize but deprecate the naming of positions by role rather than geometry, because it leads to confusion. See the Wikipedia article I wrote on position names. Coaches at low levels have been flagged because they thought they could put a tight end in motion, because that's how it was described when a team shifted a tight end to wingback, and put the wingback in motion -- or had someone who usually played tight end play in the backfield.

And if the NFL says 1-19 is for a quarterback or punter, that's consistent with the player taking the thrown snap in short punt formation, isn't it? ;-) Besides, there is no penalty as long as an interior line player is wearing 50-79, and all other players are wearing 1-49 or 80-99.

And I would say that if a safety did come up to the line and assume a 3- or 4-point stance, then indeed that safety had shifted to DL.

What I've concluded is that it makes sense to have one position listed in a roster, but in describing a formation (as for radio), then the position occupied by the player at that instant is what applies. If someone who usually plays guard is switched to tackle, you'd say that person is playing tackle, no?

In 2000 the New York Sharks used a lot of double wing formation, in which the quarterback crouches low and at an angle to the center, and the ball is usually snapped to another back about 5 yards behind center (although it is sometimes handed to the quarterback). How are you going to name that player's position? "Quarterback", because she usually took the snap and did most of the passing from that formation? Then what are you going to call the actual quarterback? BTW, the actual quarterback in that formation was usually one who also played the more conventional quarterback position in their wing T and pro sets, and who took the snap when they played shotgun formation. - robgood@bestweb.net

leg up
can someone please explain to me why the qaurterbacks always put their leg up before the snap in shotgun formation? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.34.110.211 (talk) 23:25, 19 December 2006 (UTC).

They hike there leg up for a silent snap. the center will count apre determend number of seconds and then hike the ball —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Special:Contributions/ (talk)

Huh?
"In recent years, fewer and fewer teams use the shotgun since the two-deep (or Tampa 2) 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."

The average NFL team used the shotgun 27 percent of the time in 2007, up from 19 percent in 2006. The trend is up, not down. Can someone cite a source proving the shotgun is used less now than in the past? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Future2008 (talk • contribs) 06:40, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

I also dispute the quoted statement above. It seems to me that the shotgun is being seen more and more, not less and less, along with the increased use of variations of the "spread" offense. Further more, the Tampa 2 zones seem to be less common. For example, the Eagles were a team that rarely if ever used the shotgun early in the 2000's but by 2009 they used it the majority of snaps. InsultComicDog (talk) 11:30, 20 February 2010 (UTC)

Linemen
I think I should be noted that the offensive linemen are in the two-point stance. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Vaultsuit (talk • contribs) 17:35, 18 November 2013 (UTC)

Miami Dolphins used the formation with a single back in 1966
Here's the footage...They even have a slow motion replay of the formation in use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p90IYODrQQM

2601:648:8400:20D4:2DE0:10AB:2986:23CE (talk) 00:19, 21 October 2016 (UTC)