Shotgun Formation - Recent Use

Recent Use

In recent years, fewer and fewer teams used 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 used the shotgun on obvious passing downs or when they are behind and need to pass almost every down to catch up. Many college quarterbacks, such as Tim Tebow who almost exclusively used the shotgun at Florida, have difficulty adapting to NFL offenses where most snaps are taken under center. However, with the spread offense spreading to the NFL, the shotgun is used more since the spread allows for more effective running.

The shotgun formation is often run during 2nd-and-long or 3rd-and-long situations to give the quarterback enough time before the receivers run deep routes. However, Peyton Manning, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts often audibles to plays that use this formation to take advantage of the fast receivers like Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne to gain handsome yardage in a single play. In 2007, the New England Patriots used the shotgun with great effectiveness as a base formation for the most potent offense in the history of the NFL; in fact, they were the first team in NFL history to use it for the majority of their offensive plays. The Patriots have also used the formation to directly snap the ball away from the quarterback, snapping it instead to a running back (usually Kevin Faulk); the Patriots scored a two-point conversion via such a direct snap to Faulk in Super Bowl XXXVIII and again against the Chargers in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.

Though the shotgun is a pass-dominated formation, a cleverly designed halfback draw play can put defenses off-guard and a fast halfback can get good yardage until the defense recovers from their mistake. A further development of the play is a halfback option pass, with the quarterback being one of the eligible receivers. Roger Staubach's backup and successor, Danny White, once caught such a pass for a touchdown. It was noted at the time that he was only eligible because of the shotgun formation (an NFL quarterback who takes a snap from underneath the center was and still is an ineligible receiver, a rule not found in any amateur level of American football).

The shotgun is also used in college but running is used more often than in the NFL. Most offenses in college who run in the shotgun have a fast quarterback. They often use a play where the quarterback has an option of handing the ball off to the running back who runs to the side opposite the side he was lined up on. The quarterback can also run the opposite way depending on how the defense reacts. Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators used this effectively from 2006 to 2009 with Tim Tebow.