About Football Formations

A football formation is a term that describes where each player is on the field on the offense and the defense prior to the start of a play. Football formations are many and varied but there are those that tend to be more popular, especially in the pro and college game. Variations of football formations are always being thought up but their basic concept remains the same. On offense, formations are used from which teams will either run the ball, pass it or be able to do both, while defensive formations are geared more toward using available players to the best of their abilities.

  1. Function

    • The pro set formation is common and is widely used because the ball can be run on the ground or passed through the air equally. The pro set will have a wide receiver on each side of the line well away from the last man on the offensive line and have a running back slightly behind and on each side of the quarterback. The tight end can either block or go out for a pass from his position. The I-formation is utilized with the same players, but the fullback will be directly behind the quarterback with the halfback behind the fullback. It is a running formation with the fullback often blocking for the halfback, but teams also can fake handoffs and throw from this football formation.

    Effects

    • Usually a passing formation, the shotgun formation sees the quarterback line up a few yards in back of the center. The center must snap the ball back to the quarterback, who has more time to survey the field than if he were under center. This formation is often used when an offensive line has a hard time protecting the passer. It gives the signal caller more time to read the defense and allows throws to be made quicker because the quarterback starts from the pocket. The spread formation features receivers that are spread out along the line of scrimmage. It lends itself to passing, but running backs often make big gains from it as the defense also must spread out to cover all of the eligible receivers, creating running gaps.

    Types

    • Certain situations on offense will dictate other formations. For example, close to the opponent's goal line a coach may call for a short-yardage formation, with two tight ends to block, only one receiver out wide and just one running back in the backfield, or possibly paired with a fullback to block. The idea is to be able to overpower the defense at the line of scrimmage so the runner can carry the ball into the end zone. Specific formations for punting, attempting field goals, kickoffs, and returning kicks and onsides kicks also are in every team's playbook.

    Features

    • Defenses have two popular basic formations. One is the 4-3 defense and the other is the 3-4. The 4-3 defense features four defensive linemen on the line of scrimmage backed up by a trio of linebackers with two cornerbacks and two safeties playing back from the line to protect against the pass. The linemen will play the run and rush the quarterback on passing downs with the linebackers sometimes joining them. The 3-4 defense employs three linemen and four linebackers, with one of the linebackers often rushing the passer. Teams with speedy linebackers may choose this type of defensive football formation to better utilize their strengths.

    Expert Insight

    • Because the rules are much more lax as to where defensive players can line up before the ball is snapped there are many quirky formations on that side of the ball that have been tried. The "nickel and dime" defenses refer to when there are five or six defensive backs on the field, respectively, and are used when the offensive team is behind and is forced to pass the ball. Other commonly seen defensive formations include the goal-line defense, which has nine men within a couple of yards of the line of scrimmage to prevent the offense from running the ball in short yardage situations, and the 4-4 defense which brings a safety closer to the line of scrimmage to prevent teams from running.