Formations

Formations

As a football coach, you have many formations to choose from. Some of these formations help you execute your plays more effectively but they also make your play choice more predictable towards the defensive unit. While other formations can disguise your play choice, this will not provide as much support for your play. Dan Gonzalez states, “Multiple formations can also allow an offense to take advantage of its best players because of the presence of a tight end (or multiple tight ends) can make the front and run support more predictable, thus making the pass coverage more predictable” (20 Gonzalez). This means that by coming out in a double tight end formation, the defensive unit will come out in a run scheme defense due to the extra protection that you have now added for the run. By doing this formation, the defense can show man-to-man coverage on your receivers which allows your receivers to make big plays down the field. 

(T: Tackle, G: Guard, C: Center, TE: Tight End, R: Receiver, QB: Quarterback, FB: Fullback, RB: Running back) This formation is a run-heavy formation due to all the protection added so that the running back has his way cleared out for a more successful run. 

If you decide to spread out your offense, the defense unit has to become prepared for both the run and the pass because you are not more inclined to the one based on your formation. Therefore, the defense has to be concerned over every option (20 Gonzalez). In addition, if the defense comes out in the wrong scheme the offense will take advantage of this by calling an audible to a play that will give them a good chance at a big play. Thus, the defense has to make sure they come in a scheme that will give them a good chance to stop either option.

(T: Tackle, G: Guard, C: Center, TE: Tight End, R: Receiver, QB: Quarterback, RB: Running back) This formation is much more diverse because the play could either be a pass or run, which makes it harder for the defensive coordinator to guess what the offensive will be running.

What formation do you think would bring more overall success to a standard football team like Kentridge? Why?

Gonzalez, Dan. Concept Passing: Teaching the Modern Passing Game. Monterrey, California: Coaches Choice, 2009. Print.