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The Pistol Formation

gone native

gone native

Club Member
I've been reading up a little more on what the pistol formation is all about, and the concept is kind of blowing up right now in the NFL, with the Redskins and 49ers using the formation quite a bit. It allows flavors of the spread, I-formation and triple option, and it is made for a dual threat QB like Sefo. These recent articles with screen grabs are useful to illustrate the variety of attacks that can work from the pistol:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...i-triggers-washington-redskins-pistol-offense

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ol-offense-and-how-its-revolutionized-the-nfl
 
Heh. I've been advocating a move to this formation as our base offensive package for years.

A really good compendium (love that word) on the pistol from smart football:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footba...evada-s-Pistol-by-any-other-?urn=ncaaf-176983
Pistol offense or pistol formation? Yet, unlike other noms d'offense, it's not entirely clear what the "pistol" is -- is it an entire offensive system, or just a formation? The term, being a play on the ubiquitous term "shotgun," refers in one sense simply to the set Nevada uses. Most shotgun offenses put their quarterback at five yards deep (some six, and Missouri puts theirs as deep as seven or eight) and the running back at five to six yards, aligned next to the quarterback. Nevada, by contrast, puts their quarterback only four yards back while the running back aligns directly behind him, between seven to ten yards deep depending on the play. But "offenses" are not the same as formations; a good offense involves a sensible grouping of plays and formations into a coherent whole. And while the pistol may have been conceived as simply a unique formation, the system Ault and Co. have developed has earned the name "pistol offense" by bringing a unique perspective to both the pistol and the spread.
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The above is a great introduction...

and for a little more, along with some video breaking it down:
http://smartfootball.com/run-game/more-on-the-pistol-offense

A
lthough I don’t consider the “pistol offense,” as pioneered by Chris Ault at Nevada, so much an offense as merely a useful formation which adapts well to a variety of schemes, there’s no doubt that Ault has had outsized success with it. Last season, Nevada averaged a staggering 344 yards rushing per game, on an even more staggering 7.39 yards per carry. Now, the offense took several games to get going (and against the meatiest part of Nevada’s schedule, no less), but it’s clear that the concept is here to stay and that it can be the foundation for an explosive attack.
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Yep Nevada runs it better than anybody IMHO. Back when Kap was there, they'd roll up 250 or 300 yards rushing frequently, plus throw it very well. Of course Kap takes that O to another level but they always seem to be pretty damn solid.
 
Watching New Mexico Bowl pregame. ESPN just said they will be referring to the pistol formation as the "Nevada Formation" out of respect for the shooting yesterday. Um, ok?

Edit: If you need to move/delete this post that's fine. Sort of topical, but not really in the spirit of the thread.
 
I'm excited...this is the type of offense that can be easily learned and make average players look good. If you are a stud or really fast, getting the ball in open space makes you look like a superstar. The few receivers we have should be extremely excited! In pro sets you wind up blocking more
 
JWP303 said:
Watching New Mexico Bowl pregame. ESPN just said they will be referring to the pistol formation as the "Nevada Formation" out of respect for the shooting yesterday. Um, ok?

Edit: If you need to move/delete this post that's fine. Sort of topical, but not really in the spirit of the thread.
Click to expand...
What are they calling the "shotgun?"
 
A lot of teams utilize the pistol formation, but not many actually run the same type of offense as Nevada, with the QB truly a major factor in the ground game.
Interestingly enough, prior to Kap's arrival they were actually more pass-based. Ault saw what he had on his hands in Kap and changed it to take advantage of what he had.
 
The QB running plays Nevada runs are mostly the same plays the Spread teams are running - zone reads. Where the QB is reading the outside guy (usually the DE), who is left completely unblocked.

Just like there are Spread Teams running the QB zone read, and some don't.....
 
Dillon would be great in the pistol. You can watch the San jose state games on espn3.com. It certainly an upgrade over EB 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense. A combination of Powel and Abron will also be devastating to defenses in the pistol offemse.
 
**** yes, hope we get to see my favorite formation, the diamond.
pistol1.jpg


diamond.jpg
 
exxon said:
Is Powell quick enough to be the deep back in that formation? I have my doubts.
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He did pretty good out of the shotgun last season...

The pistol favors big backs in the back because he will have momentum when he gets the ball.
 
Powell will be fine, he did pretty well in EB offense. The pistol offense will actually increase Powell production. Teams will not be stacking the box with 9 guys when you have 3 or 4 wides in the spread look. More running lanes for Powell down hill power running.
 
Powell will be fine in the pistol. SJSU had a "big back" package last year where they had a guy bigger than him as the single back. Powell is way faster than that guy, and he can catch. He's not a great screen back, but he is dangerous in the open field, if only because he might kill a cornerback.
 
I love this. Adding the run option for the QB position is like taking a defender off the field in the college game. I'm a huge fan of the pistol and any type of running spread.
 
Walter White said:
I love this. Adding the run option for the QB position is like taking a defender off the field in the college game. I'm a huge fan of the pistol and any type of running spread.
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the MacAttack is not a running spread. It is a pass heavy spread offense run primarily out of the pistol. However, I bet it changes depending on the QB.
 
They did have a decent rushing game though, although they did not do a whole lot of QB rushing. Actually, teir stats compared favorably to the Broncos this year, as they averaged 327 passing yards and 124 rushing yard per game. Also, their leading rusher averaged 5 yards per carry. Here are 2012 stats from the SJSU website:

ScreenHunter_01 Dec. 17 13.43.gif
 
I would give my left nut to average 35 points per game.


gone native said:
They did have a decent rushing game though, although they did not do a whole lot of QB rushing. Actually, teir stats compared favorably to the Broncos this year, as they averaged 327 passing yards and 124 rushing yard per game. Also, their leading rusher averaged 5 yards per carry. Here are 2012 stats from the SJSU website:

View attachment 11138
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