When the Miami Dolphins traded a fifth-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for quarterback Tyler Thigpen in late September, it didn't make a dent in the NFL landscape, except to those connoisseurs of interesting offensive formations. In 2008, the Coastal Carolina alum ran 359 of his 420 snaps from the shotgun formation for Kansas City, an extreme 85 percent, even for a league heading more to the shotgun every year. Kansas City's offensive ace in the hole last season was the Pistol formation, which offensive coordinator Chan Gailey superimposed on his struggling offense. Invented by Chris Ault of the Nevada Wolfpack, the Pistol is a short shotgun formation with a halfback behind the quarterback and an H-back or blocking fullback outside. It's an interesting way to apply wide-open concepts without losing the blocking stability that is so necessary in the NFL.
Click to expand...