This pistol offense...

[Cycleans]

We all know what a copycat league the NFL is.... I can't breakdown the details to why this offense is so different like some of you so I won't even try. I've had my dvr recording a bunch of the chatter by the talking heads for the last several days anything Redskins oriented
This offense has the attention of a lot of the coaches and players. Ecspecially since there is a fairly large sampling of 11 games to digest. The common theme is the offense operating with a QB in shotgun designed to run a bunch while scanning downfield.
The common theme for the opposing defenses seems it is extremely hard to see who has the ball. Linebackers are having to wait longer to commit They mention it's like paying in the mud
Ever so often we get to see something original that ends up being a game changer. I see that in this offense. Granted we have the finest player on the planet to make it work. I don't see anything but a spectacular finish for the offense.

 

[Snydershrugged]

Nice post!

I've always wished that the Skins would find some innovation and the personnel to carry it out. Now it looks more and more like something is happening in that regard. (pinch me)

 

[burgold]

Nice post!

I've always wished that the Skins would find some innovation and the personnel to carry it out. Now it looks more and more like something is happening in that regard. (pinch me)

Yup, our last major innovation previous to this was the counter trey... unless you count the swinging gate.

 

[Snydershrugged]

Yup, our last major innovation previous to this was the counter trey... unless you count the swinging gate.

forgot that one! LOL

 

[CounterTrey]

forgot that one! LOL

tsk tsk tsk for shame!....

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Actually, it is the Pistol I (pronounced "eye) formation.

Two neighbors, Giants fans, tossed nothing but compliments my way yesterday and mentioned how tough the Pistol I will be tough to defend with RG3, Morris, Garcon, and many others for the next ten to fifteen years.

It brought a big smile to my face. Yes, the Pistol I is our new Counter Trey.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

I've never heard it called the pistol I; at Nevada they just called it the pistol I thought?
Posted via BGO Mobile Device

 

[Dead Money]

Pistol(a) Pistol(o) .. Who care's how you say it. Griffin's BRILLIANT ability on play fakes is what makes it work so well. Can you imagine Jason Campbell loafing through one of those plays where he fakes the handoff and the screen and either runs or tosses????

I've always been impressed with the QBs who can tuck the ball and fluidly run a fake tricking you, me and sometimes the cameraman. Well now we have one all to ourselves. His fakes are only gonna get better with time... unimaginable.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

Its more the outstanding fakes and the actual threat of the fastest QB in the league keeping it on those reverse pivot handoffs that keep linebackers from selling out against the run. Last game they did a good job explaining that you freeze the dend and the OLB, and make your reads off of them, very few teams have outstanding DE and OLB's so we often can get away with it. Morris has the ability to slide into the seams at full speed which is why he fits so well in this and Griffin has the speed to get the edge even when players should have the angle for contain. Imagine the t formation from back in the day only with a superior passer who can also run.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

Dead- absolutely

 

[riggins44]

I am sure in off season DC and OC's will study our offense. The DC's will see how to stop. OC's will see how to use with their team.

The one thing they can't emulate is Griffin's speed and intellegence.

 

[Dead Money]

I am sure in off season DC and OC's will study our offense. The DC's will see how to stop. OC's will see how to use with their team.

The one thing they can't emulate is Griffin's speed and intellegence.

And we have the offseason to come up with more new and exciting ways to use our shiny new toy. I just see the creativity that Kyle has had so far and have to imagine that exploding in year two.

 

[Elephant]

We have the off-season to pick up a top tier RT so we can give Griffin more time in the pocket to chew teams up when they all try to adjust for his speed.

 

[TomE]

http://www.espn980.com/audiovault/#


ESPN 980, open up the Dilfer segment, he expands on the workings of this offense.

He is gushing all over the place about it and thinks that it is a great bridge for Griff as he acclimates to the "pro style" offense.

 

[SilentThreat]

http://www.espn980.com/audiovault/#


ESPN 980, open up the Dilfer segment, he expands on the workings of this offense.

He is gushing all over the place about it and thinks that it is a great bridge for Griff as he acclimates to the "pro style" offense.

I love how everyone keeps calling this a "transition" or a "bridge" to a so-called pro-style offense. This is WORKING. Why cant this be an offensive gameplan? We're in contention for a division title. This offense is more then a transition, it's an effective system, and Griffin is well on his way to perfecting it.

 

[tshile]

I love how everyone keeps calling this a "transition" or a "bridge" to a so-called pro-style offense. This is WORKING. Why cant this be an offensive gameplan? We're in contention for a division title. This offense is more then a transition, it's an effective system, and Griffin is well on his way to perfecting it.

I heard someone on the radio, and I almost think it was a Ravens player doing an interview, and he said the the reason people are saying that is that until now no one thought that type of offense would work in the NFL. but with griffin behind center the shanahans have not only found a way to make it work, but a way to do very well with it being run by a rookie

Makes sense to me

 

[TomE]

I see no reason to not think that this "bridge" offensive scheme will evolve over time to include the more conventional drop back elements of which Griff currently is less familiar.

Most of Griff's heavy hits have come within the pocket. Overtime, I suspect that he'll learn to slip around the pocket, avoid the hits and see the field better, he's just not there yet.

As long as our run game is working and we stay within reach scoring wise this scheme will continue to terrorize defenses.

If the run game becomes less of a factor because of score and time limits then an efficient pocket game is critical for quick score potential.

Once Griff acguires a higher degree of "pocket presence" to go along with with everything else.........it'll really be killer.

 

[servumtuum]

One problem I think other teams will have in trying to emulate this type of offense is that it takes someone with Griff's unique combination of speed, agility, vision, throwing ability and intelligence to make it work-he is the first QB I've seen whose combination of those skills is good enough to make the scheme work as well as it is. Perhaps a Steve Young might have been able to pull it off during his time as a pro but now as players have become bigger, stronger and faster than they were even twenty years ago Griffs athleticism and smarts likely makes him the ideal "model" to fit this offense.

Another factor is the good fortune of having Morris at RB-he makes the run option so dangerous that the defense is stymied over which direction the play will go-Griffs arm, his feet, his quick read/quick decision/quick release ability and Morris' running ability as options is a terrible risk for opposing DCs knowing that no single option is notably weaker than another so they cant disregard any if them in favor of another to try to improve the likelihood that a correct guess can be made.

The nature of the offense is designed so that the defense when faced with a choice will be in the position that whichever decision they make will be wrong-the plays are packaged with multiple options designed to make it difficult if not impossible for the defense to cover all available choices. If Griff is to incorporate what is traditionally a "pro style" offense it will simply be yet another situational choice designed to keep defenses off balance. The current scheme allows multiple options run or pass from identical formations so the defensive adjustments are murder. Any DC that can come up with a way to consistently defend this will be considered a defensive genius.

This scheme is baffling and overcoming "pro style" defenses-by that measure it is a "pro style" offense.

 

[Fear The Spear]

One problem I think other teams will have in trying to emulate this type of offense is that it takes someone with Griff's unique combination of speed, agility, vision, throwing ability and intelligence to make it work-he is the first QB I've seen whose combination of those skills is good enough to make the scheme work as well as it is.

Another factor is the good fortune of having Morris at RB-he makes the run option so dangerous that the defense is stymied over which direction the play will go-Griffs arm, his feet, his quick read/quick decision/quick release ability and Morris' running ability as options is a terrible risk for opposing DCs

Simply put, the Redskins are finally doing what I've been begging them to do for the past 20 years, but failed to do - and doing what every team should do - and that is - simply cater your offensive philosophy based on your players' skills and strengths, rather than trying to force your players to fit your pre-determined scheme.

Aren't you glad RG3 didn't get stuck with Spurrier's Fun N Gun offense ?

 

[SilentThreat]

Simply put, the Redskins are finally doing what I've been begging them to do for the past 20 years, but failed to do - and doing what every team should do - and that is - simply cater your offensive philosophy based on your players' skills and strengths, rather than trying to force your players to fit your pre-determined scheme.

Aren't you glad RG3 didn't get stuck with Spurrier's Fun N Gun offense ?

yeah, we are catering to his skill set, but lets be honest, what QB have we had in DC that had a skill set worth catering to before Griffin? McNabb? Beck? Grossman? We finally have a QB with a skill set that can be used to exploit defenses...

In addition to that i dont think foundation of the playbook has changed... it's just been run out of a pistol formation, instead of being from under center. Obviously the triple option has been added, but i think a lot of the running plays, as well as play action plays, came from the original scheme, just move Griffin out from under center.