Installation of The

Shotgun Offense
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C R W M S C
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By James Vint
Offensive Coordinator
Christopher Columbus High School
Bronx, New York
 Advantages of The Gun
 Defenses Have To Account For the QB As A Runner
 Every Play Becomes An Option Play
 QB Has Easier Pre And Post Snap Reads
 QB Already Has Depth In The Pass Game
 Offense Can Read Rather Than Block A Defender In
The Run Game
 QB Works Downhill As Opposed To Uphill From Under C
 Linebackers On Their Heels As Gun Is A Pass
Formation
 In Two Back Gun The D Must Account For 3 Backs and
3 Wideouts
 In One Back Gun The D Must Account For Two Backs
And Four Wides
 Comparing The Gun To Under Center
F
 Def Accounts For 4 WR and
C R W M S C 1 Back
E T T E  Defense Does Not Have To
Defend The QB As A Runner
 Defense Can Defend The
Box With 6 VS 6

F Defense Must Account For

The QB AS The Second Back
C R W M S C
Defense Must Account For
E T T E
Four Wideouts
If D Account For 4 Wides,
They Are Left With 6 To Defend
7 In The Box
 QB Pre Snap Alignment
 QB Aligns at 4.5 yards from the center
 Feet are slightly staggered with throwing
foot slightly in front
 Hands are comfortable, with fingers
spread
 QB brings the snap through the third hand
 QB Snaps Eyes to Read
 QB Footwork And The Mesh
 If The back is crossing the QB, the QB will
take a flat step toward the back. We call
this SHORT STEP, FLAT STEP.
 He reaches the ball deep and feels the
bell of the back, snapping his eyes to his
read.
 He rides the back through while making
his read.
 “Squeeze and Chase, Pull and Replace”
 RB Footwork And The Mesh
 The back aligns 1.5 to 2 yards behind the
QB, straddling the outside leg of the
guard.
 If the back is crossing the QB, he will take
a step opposite the QB, then get downhill.
 He must make a deep pocket, with the top
palm up.
 The back must feel the QB read, and not
snatch at the football.
 Read the Backside 5 Technique

The main concept you will get from this manual is the concept of reading the
backside 5 technique. The QB will read the backside 5 technique. This allows
the backside tackle to work up to the second and third level. Under center, the
quarterback is not able to read the backside 5 technique, he is working uphill.
From the gun, the QB can read the backside 5 tech and use his rule.
QB’s Rule: Squeeze and Chase, pull and replace.

If the 5 technique squeezes the tackle’s release and chases the back the
quarterback is meshing with, the QB will pull the football and replace the 5
technique. This is a way of reminding the QB to get downhill. If the 5 tech does
anything else, the QB gives the ball and carries out a downhill run fake to hold
the pursuit. We drill this with our MESH DRILL. The QB’s and running backs
work together getting their mesh down, while the QB reads the 5 tech.. We vary
how the 5 technique plays in each situation as we drill the mesh and read.

Mesh Drill If the DE squeezes and chases, the QB

DE
will pull the ball and replace the DE. We
C want the QB to get downhill.
If the DE sits at home, or goes upfield,
the QB will give the ball and continue a
QB downhill run fake.
RB
 Diagram Of The Mesh

 The QB Takes A Flat Step To The Back, then a

short step. His feet should face the Sideline, in
a heel toe relationship at the mesh point.
 Same Side Mesh
 If the QB is meshing with the back on the
same side as the call, his footwork will be
similar to inside veer. He will take a short
step, then get up in. We want a short step
to the back, then the opposite foot working
downhill on the Mesh.
 The TB will step to the QB, then downhill.
He must try to keep his shoulder’s square.
 Same Side Mesh

 QB works his feet to parallel, similar to inside

veer footwork.
 TB steps to the QB, keeping his shoulders
square.
 Formation Identification
R F Gun Pro (Pittsburgh)
C W M C
E T T E S

F
C
S W M R C
E T T E

Twins Gun (Minnesota)

 Formation Identification
F Ace Gun (Alabama)
C R W M C
E T T E S

C F

S W M R C
E T T E

Trips Closed (Cleveland)

 Formation Identification
F Empty (Gator)
C R M W C
E T T E S

C F

S W M R C
E T T E

Bunch (Baltimore)
 Motion Identification
 Rip: Left IS Receiver Across The Formation
 Liz: Right IS WR Across the Formation
 Hump: FB to the TE
 Jump: FB away from the TE
 Tom: TE to the call
 Ted: TE away from the call
 Jet: Z across the formation
 Zip: Z Into the formation
 Zap: Z Away from the formation
 Away: TB away from the TE
 To: TB to the TE
 Inside Zone Read From Alabama
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 Offensive Line Uses Inside Zone Blocking

Techniques
 QB Reads Backside 5 Tech
 TB and QB Utilize Mesh Footwork
 Inside Zone Read With Extra Def
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E T T E

 We use motion to block the extra guy, or

we can have the BST block the T and read
the E.
 Best case is to check to QB Iso through
the 3 hole.
 Base Dive From Alabama
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 Oline uses base dive scheme

 Great vs. 1-5 technique playside
 TB and QB Utilize Same Side Mesh Footwork
 QB Gives, there is no read
 Center Cuts Playside One Tech
 Base Dive Fold From Alabama
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 Center and PSG will Fold vs. aggressive

one tech
 Guard Blocks Down, Center Steps Around
 TB and QB Utilize Mesh Footwork
 Creates Angles For A Quick Hitting Play
 Base Dive Kick From Alabama
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 Center Pulls and Kicks Out 5 Tech

 PST Inside Veer Releases To PSLB
 TB and QB Utilize Same SideMesh Footwork
 Quick Hitting Play to Put the 5 Tech On Ice
 46 Counter Read
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 Use Base Dive To Set Up Counter Read

 Counter Read Allows You To Read the BS End
 You can use motion to account for another
defender on the read side.
 46 Scissors Read
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 Scissors Action Holds The Backside Flow

 Scissors Read Allows You To Read the BS End
 Allows You To Have A Lead Blocker For The QB
 42 Tackle Trap Read
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 Allows You To Account For The Will LB

 Tackle Trap Read Allows You To Read the BS
End
 Quick Hitting Play In The Center of The Defense
 42 Trap Read
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E T T E

 Again, Allows You To Account For The Will LB

 Short Trap is Quicker Than The Tackle Trap
 You can move the QB up to 3.5 Yards
Adding The Option Game To The Gun

 Forces The Defense To Play Assignment

Football
 Slows Down Blitzing Linebackers
 Creates Opportunities For The Big Play
 Slows Down Pursuit of Front Seven
 Allows You To Account For More
Defenders
 QB Makes Reads While Working Downhill
 Option Plays From The Gun
 Inside Veer
 Outside Veer
 Load
 Lead
 Speed
 Belly
 Counter
 Trap
 Slide
 Inside Veer From The Gun
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E T T E

 QB Reads 5 Tech For Give Read, OLB or R for Pitch

 Great vs. 1-5 technique playside
 TB and QB Utilize Same Side Mesh Footwork
 Great vs. 8 Man Fronts
 O Line Uses Zone Combination Blocks
 Speed Option From Alabama
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 O-Line Uses Inside Veer Blocking

 Great vs. 1-5 technique playside
 TB Drop Steps and Gets Into Pitch Relationship
 QB Slides and Attacks PS DE
 Zone Combination Blocks Get Great Movement
 OS Veer Option Option From Gun
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 O-Line Uses Outside Veer Blocking

 Great vs. Any Defensive Front Minus and Invert
 FB Steps to Play and Attacks 5 hole
 QB gets downhill and reads 9 tech
 Zone Combination Blocks Get Great Movement
 Load Option From Gun
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 O-Line Uses Outside Veer Blocking

 Great vs. Any Defensive Front Minus and Invert
 FB Flashes Hands and Works To Alley Player
 QB Uses OS Veer FW, Then attacks 9 tech
 Zone Combination Blocks Get Great Movement
 Slide Option
 QB Slides To The Playside and Reads
The 5 Tech. If the 5 squeezes, the QB
attacks the next defender. If the 5 comes
upfield, the QB shovels the ball to the
Under Back.
 Use Veer Blocking
 Puts the five in another lose-lose dilemma
 Spread Gun 15 Slide

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E T T E

From The Even look, the ISWR becomes the pitch man. You can also
bubble him and use the bubble as the second option. Keep the bubble
behind the line as you have lineman going upfield.
 Gun Slot 15 Slide

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E T T E
 The Horses Set
The horses set is a set we used to get our QB on the perimeter. We ran
the horses set with great success. The base play is 18-19 Horses. We
complement this play with 12-13 Iso, and all of our read plays. We also
run our zone play, and run play action off the horses. The horses set is
designed to get angle blocks on our opponents.

The Horses Set

Motion
 Zip 18 Horses

C C
W M $
E T T E S

Zip Motion
 Ace Gun 13 ISO vs. 30 Stack

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From an Even set under center, you couldn’t run the Iso without
motioning a slot. From the gun, you the defense has to account
for two backs in the backfield, and still account for four wides.
Getting Your QB In The Run Game
Ace Gun 17 Power

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$
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W M S

E T T E

From an ace set under center, you couldn’t run the power without
motioning a slot. From the gun, you the defense has to account
for two backs in the backfield, and still account for four wides.
 QB Mechanics in the Pass Game
 QB Calls The Play Twice In The Huddle
 Formation, Motion, Protection, Play
 QB Makes A Half Field Read Based On
His Pre-Snap Checks
 QB Begins Cadence
 Hot Color Means Changing The Protection
Or Routes
 Cold Color, Play and Protection Are Being
Run As Called
QB Pre Snap Reads Continued
 QB Looks Right and Looks Left
 He Reads Depth of Corners and Number
of Safeties
 Receivers Will Signal Technique
 QB Checks Inverts and Blitz Combos
 QB Checks Off If Needed
 QB Raises Hands and Center Looks Up
 Identifying Coverages
 Cover 0: True Man
 Cover 1: Man with FS Free
 Cover 2: Two Deep Safeties
 Cover 3: Three Deep Zones
 Cover 4: Quarters, Four Deep Zones
 Cover 5: Quarter/Quarter/Half
 Spy: Defender will Spy QB (Usually with running
QB)
 Robber: Defender assigned to Rob or Take and
area of the Pass Game Away
 Identifying Cover 0
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 Corners Align Inside As They Have No Help

 Free Safety Moves Over TE (Check Sam Blitz
 Rover Lined Up Over IS WR
 Beat 0 With Crossing Routes
 Identifying Cover 0
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 Corners Align Inside As They Have No

Help
 Pre Snap Sam Walks Up To Blitz
 Free Safety Moves To Cover ISWR
 Beat 0 With Crossing Routes
 Identifying Cover 1
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E T T E

 Corners Align Head Up to OS as they have safety help

 FS Stays in Middle, May Favor Field
 ISWR are covered
 TE May be covered by SLB
 Can Be 0 with FS on RB
 If Mike and Will Blitz, Play Cover 0 Routes
 Identifying Cover 2
$ F

C E W M S C
T T E

 Corners Align Press to 5 Yards

 Safeties Play Outside The OT’s, Can Be On The
Hash
 OLB’s Play IS of ISWR, Triangle Technique
 The Safety Will Tell You If The Coverage IS
Two, Four, or A Cloud Three.
 Identifying Cover 3
C F C
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E T T E S

 One Middle Safety, Usually at 12-15

 Corners Play OS Alignment at 7 to 9 yards.
 Usually and Invert One Side Of the Field, or a 4-4 Type
Look
 Tough To Play Cover 2 From a 3 Shell, But Defenses
use a 3 shell to disguise cover 4.
 Also Looks Like Cover 1. If $ is leveraging TE, expect
cover one.
 Identifying Cover 4
C F $ C
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E T T E S

 Two Safeties, Inside the hashes.

 Corners in off technique, near safety depth
 Usually No Invert versus cover 4
 Expect limited blitzes versus cover 4.
 Can Roll Into Cover 3 Strong Or Weak
 Defenses Run Cover 4 to get the safeties into the run
game.
 Defeating Pressure
 Change Your QB Drop Zone
 Use a 3-Step Drop
 Use a 5-Step Drop
 Use a 7-Step Drop
 Use A Sprint Out Pass
 Use The Dash Series
 Use Screens and Draws
 Learn To Throw Hot
Route Combinations and Coverage Adjustments
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E T T E S

 Cali Combo Is A Five Step Curl Flat

 Front Side #1 Runs Curl, Number 2 Runs Flat, Number 3
Runs Slice
 Backside is a Scat Combo
 QB Reads #2 Defender
 5 Step Combo
 QB Makes A Pre Snap Read To Go Front Side Or
Backside
 Cali Combo vs. Cover 2
F $
C W M C
E T T E S

 Curl Adjusts to a 12 Yard Stop

 Frontside Runs 12 Yard Outside Release to Press the Corner and
Get the $ Over The Top
 Flat Can Be Adjusted To An Arc
 Backside is a Scat Combo
 QB Reads #2 Defender
 5 Step Combo
 QB Makes A Pre Snap Read To Go Front Side Or Backside
 Crossing Combo (Chicago)
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 Chicago is a 5 Step Combo With A Shallow Cross and 2 or 3

Verticals
 Frontside Runs Vertical/Stop Read, Makes Decision at 12
Yards
 #2 On Both Sides Runs Seam
 Backside WR Runs Shallow Cross
 5 Step Drop
 QB Reads Technique Of Safety For Coverage Key
 QB Looks At Safety and Reads Backside Hook/Curl Defender
 Middle Cross Hi Low On Mike (X’s)
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E T T E S

 Hi Low Combo On The Mike Linebacker

 #2 Frontside Runs 5 Yards Vertical and Deepens to 12 as he
crosses to the opposite hash
 #2 Backside Runs 3 Yards Vertical and Deepens to 7 as he
crosses to the opposite hash
 5 Step Combo
 Versus Off Coverage, Throw Stops
 Back Must Check Then Release Late
 Rocket Double Screen
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C $
W M C
E T T E S

 QB Will Catch, Pivot, and Throw

 Call Side Runs Rocket, Backside Runs Swing
 TE Cracks Mike
 Backside WR Cracks #2
 Backside RB Runs Swing
 Frontside Back Dives Into Line Towards DE
 Frontside WR Rocker Steps Forward and comes back through the ball
 Tackles Have the Sidewalk
 Guards Have the All
 Center Has Inside Alley
 Alabama Rip Blue 5 Cali Right
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E T T E S

 Alabama is the formation

 Rip is the motion
 Blue 5 is the protection
 Back Away from TE runs Swing
 Backside is a Scat Combo
 QB Reads #2 or flat Defender
 5 Step Combo
 QB Makes A Pre Snap Read To Go Front Side Or Backside
 If the $ runs with the motion or inverts with the F, throw backside
 Tennessee: 3 Step Complement To Cali Combo
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 Three Step Drop Changes The QB Drop Zone

 Similar To Cali Combo, but routes are adjusted for shorter drop
 Playside #1 runs a slant
 Number 2 runs a flat route
 #3 Still Runs A Slice
 QB Reads #2 or flat Defender
 QB Throws on his third step
 QB Makes A Pre Snap Read To Go Front Side Or Backside
 If the $ runs with the motion or inverts with the F, throw backside
 Pass Protection Schemes
 3 Step Protections are a gap punch
protection
 We aggressively pass protect to keep the
hands down
 We use a low hat to pass set
 We protect the inside first and throw hot
off blitzers
Five Step (BOB) Blue Protection
 We use Big-On-Big Techniques in our five step
game.
 We block down guys first, then up guys.
 We pass set and punch, dropping our outside
foot.
 O-Line Must Keep Shoulders Parallel to LOS
 Throw hot off blitzers
 We call our Blue protection with a number so
everyone knows the number of protectors
 Blue Protection
 Blue 5 is a base 5 man protection.
 Blue 6 Keeps One Back
 Blue 7 Keeps In Two Backs
 Stay tells the TE to Stay
 Blue 9 Is A Max Protect
 All backs and TE’s are in routes and are not staying to
protect.
 We must block down guys first.
 Vs. Even fronts, we account for 4 down guys and Mike or
Will.
 Vs. Odd fronts we account for the three or five down
guys. If there are 3 down, we get the 2 ISLB’s.
 5 Man Protection
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 This is a base 5 man protection.

 We block the man on our outside shoulder
 Uncovered has double read
 QB would check Mac to throw hot off Mike Blitz
 TE is hot off Mike
 QB throws to Flat Route if Sam comes
 Blue 6 Protection
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 This keeps a back in to block

 The back has the Will unless he gets a nasty call
 Nasty puts the back on the EMOL
 If the $ blitzes, we go nasty and throw hot
 With motion, QB would look frontside with no defensive adjustment
 The word STAY alerts the TE he will stay in to Block.
 MAX keeps both backs in.
 This Is A Basic Overview Of The Gun
Offense There is Much More You Can Add

James Vint
Offensive Coordinator
Christopher Columbus High School
Bronx, New York
CoachVint@aol.com