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The Green Bay Packers (left) in the shotgun in a game against the New York Giants in 2007
The shotgun formation is a formation used by the offensive team in gridiron football mainly for passing plays, although some teams use it as their base formation. Instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage, in the shotgun he stands farther back, often five to seven yards off the line. Sometimes the quarterback will have a back on one or both sides before the snap, while other times he will be the lone player in the backfield with everyone spread out as receivers.
The shotgun formation can offer certain advantages. The offensive linemen have more room to maneuver behind the scrimmage line and form a tighter, more cohesive oval “pocket” in which the quarterback is protected from “blitzing” by the defense. The quarterback also has a better view of the defense from the shotgun formation. If the quarterback has speed, mobility or both, he can use this formation to scramble before his pass; or, to run to an open field position in the defensive secondary or to the sideline, usually gaining first-down yardage.
Although some running plays can be run effectively from the shotgun, the formation also has weaknesses. The defense knows a pass is more than likely coming, particularly from an empty set lacking any running backs, and there is a higher risk of a botched snap than in a simple center/quarterback exchange. If the defense is planning a pass rush, this formation gives fast defensive players more open and exposed targets in the offensive backfield, with less cluttered “blitzing” routes to the quarterback and any other halfback in the offensive backfield.
Shotgun combines elements of the short punt and spread formations — "spread" in that it has receivers spread widely instead of close to or behind the interior line players. The origins of the term are thought to be that it is like a "shotgun" in spraying receivers around the field.[1] (The alignment of the players also suggests the shape of an actual shotgun.) Formations similar or identical to the shotgun used decades previously would be called names such as "spread double wing". Short punt formations (so called because the distance between the snapper and the ostensible punter is shorter than in long punt formation) do not usually have as much emphasis on wide receivers.
A typical Shotgun formation—many variables can be modified, but this is the basic setup many teams use
^"BleacherReport, Craziest Football Terms and Where They Come From". Bleacher Report.
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in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgunformation, and "spreads" the defense horizontally using three-, four-, and even...
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State. The system is designed out of a shotgunformation with four wide receivers and one running back. The formations often feature two outside receivers...
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approximately 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Shotgun- A shotgunformation is one of the most common formations in the modern game. The quarterback lines...
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shooting The action of a linebacker or defensive back to blitz shotgunformation A formation in which the quarterback receives the snap 5–8 yards behind...
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Virtually all modern offensive formations are variations on the T theme. A notable exception is the Shotgunformation, first used by the San Francisco...
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formation I formation Option offense Pistol formation Pro set Shotgunformation Single set back Single-wing formation T formation Wildcat formation Wishbone...
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