The Pistol Offense in 2013

[Laloosh]

Okay, this is a question to all of you football geeks:

What is the fate of the pistol offense in the NFL? Seems like SEA is still getting nice gains from it (#24 finding nice lanes in that 1 back set).

Saw this on ESPN.com and it just seems way over the top trying to be snarky about the pistol. More teams using it, yes. Teams that shouldn't be using it are probably trying to use it. If you have a legit run game (and QB), why shouldn't the pistol work?

Lay it on me football geeks.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=971529 ... id=2378529

 

[sutz]

That was a waste of precious bandwidth. :roll:

 

[Axx]

Wow that was horribly biased against read option QBs
So zero TDs means a play isnt effective?

 

[Popeyejones]

Were the Hawks running it against the Jags at all?

From what I've seen the play has basically been shut down by the four teams known for running it (Skins, Panthers, 9ers, Hawks) which kind of tells us what we need to know.

From what I've seen the only teams still running it with any regularity at all is the Eagles, and they're doing so out of the spread to prevent defenses from disguising the read as easily.

 

[Laloosh]

Hawks used it effectively vs SF, Popeye. He just didnt keep it often.

 

[Scottemojo]

Lynch isn't effective because it is a pistol set. He is effective because that look includes a tight end or two, and at least 2 receivers. 4 pass-catchers at the line means nickel, which means a 6 man defensive front. Lynch is killing those 6 man fronts.

The article may be biased, but the threat of getting your QB killed is real, as Brooks demonstrated when he slaughtered Wilson. Kaepernick has little receiver help, so he is usually assigned a spy, and Griffen is hobbled. Newton runs a little different option set.

You watch, as the season wears on, there will be more RO.

 

[rideaducati]

The pistol offense is being used by Peyton Manning too. The pistol evens up the offensive formations so defenses don't know strong or weak and the offense can run to where the defense is weakest without tipping the defense. The pistol will stick around for a while. The read option from that formation will get qbs hurt so I think that will more or less go away.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Pistol offense?

More like water pistol offense thus far this year.