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Shotgun seen as powerful weapon in the NFL

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says one of the advantages of being in the shotgun formation is a better view of the defense.

Mark Hoffman


Rodgers likes ability to attack from formation

Green Bay - In his fifth season as a starter for the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers represents the modern-day shotgun quarterback.

He used the formation 36 times in the Packers' wild-card playoff win over Minnesota, throwing a touchdown pass to John Kuhn from it and converting a long fourth down to Greg Jennings. He used the shotgun on first down (15 times), second down (eight) and third down (12).

"I never sat down and asked him why he likes it, but I know he does like it," said quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo. "A lot."

It's a popular choice for quarterbacks who want to see the field and slow the pass rush and common in the NFL and for Rodgers - so much so that it's hard to believe the shotgun was once considered unconventional and even a little controversial when the San Francisco 49ers first unveiled it half a century ago.

The earliest blueprints for the shotgun actually date back to the 1920s but on Nov. 22, 1960, the struggling 49ers were 16-point underdogs preparing for the defending NFL champion Baltimore Colts and their reputable pass rush. Coach Red Hickey introduced a spread formation for quarterback John Brodie during practice.

"There is no limit to the things we can do in this formation," said Hickey at the time.

"The players exchanged incredulous looks," according to the 1961 San Francisco media guide. "Several said later they thought the head coach had cracked. . . . It was evident for several days that few, if any, were sold on the new offense."

But it worked. Even as Brodie went down with an injury, backup Bob Waters took the snap well behind center. The Colts couldn't believe San Francisco even ran out of this formation. San Francisco upset the Colts, 30-22. In the locker room, Hickey told reporters that his offense was simply "spread right and spread left" but afterward he came up with something more clever, according to the New York Times:

"Well, I'm an old country boy, and I used to go hunting with a shotgun. How about we call it the shotgun?"

The next season, Brodie became known as "the man who pulled the trigger of the shotgun."

San Francisco started the 1961 season 4-1 using the shotgun.

"Until they played the Chicago Bears at Wrigley Field and got shut out," said Gil Brandt, the chief scout for the Dallas Cowboys from 1960-'89. Indeed, the 49ers lost, 31-0.

"All of a sudden the shotgun went by the wayside," said Brandt. "Red got fired as the head coach of the 49ers. He came to the Dallas Cowboys as our receivers coach."

And Hickey taught the shotgun to Dallas coach Tom Landry.

"They were kind of scoffed at because people said there are too many ways for error," said Brandt.

Use of formation spreads

When Roger Staubach joined the Cowboys in 1969, he took to the shotgun as well.

"Roger Staubach was great," said Brandt. "He liked the flexibility it gave him. He would like to roll out and I think he liked to be able to see the field rather than drop back. The shotgun was probably cut out and made for him."

Other NFL teams started to see the shotgun as a great option on passing third downs but then other quarterbacks like Dan Marino and John Elway started to use it for other downs as well.

Now, it's Rodgers' formation. Rodgers said that only one other coach - Craig Rigsbee at Butte College - let him play in the shotgun, "so I'm making up for lost time." Rodgers took to the formation early in Green Bay as a backup behind Brett Favre.

"Brett always liked to do it," said Rodgers. "Especially when he went to more of the big packages with four receivers, five receivers. He liked being back there, being able to make checks."

There are numerous advantages to throwing from the shotgun, the first being a better view of the defense and seeing through linemen.

"Being a shorter quarterback, I feel like it helps with visibility," said the 6-foot-2 Rodgers. "Sometimes as you are dropping back, it's a little more difficult to be able to see the entire field. In the shotgun I've always felt it's been a little easier."

Rodgers also said he can dictate some of the pass rush lanes and affect the pass rush angles by the depth of his drop - exactly what the 49ers did to the Colts 23 years before Rodgers was born.

"Defenses are always looking at how deep they can get in the pocket," said Rodgers. "If you're under center, a good five-step drop will get you 7 or 8 yards back. In the gun, you can take it to 9 or 10. Teams do different things to combat that - stunts and bull rushes - to try and collapse the pocket, but in general, especially someone with a little bit of athleticism, you can dictate some of that pass rush."

The shotgun isn't for the slow-footed, aging quarterback who isn't mobile, said Brandt. It is perfect for someone with athleticism.

"And we don't think of Rodgers as a good athlete - but he's an excellent athlete," said Brandt.

For the gun to work, however, certain things have to be perfect.

"You've got to find the laces," said McAdoo. "You've got to keep your timing with the receiver's routes. You don't want to have different timing under center or in the gun. He does an exceptional job at being able to catch and spin the ball, get the laces quick and then get it out of his hands."

But Rodgers likes the shotgun so much he actually practices throwing without having his fingers around the laces, just in case.

"There's times where you have to get the ball out very quickly and throw the football without having your grip exactly right," Rodgers said.

Different snap techniques

The play is a bust if the snap is bad. And that's where center Evan Dietrich-Smith has to be on top of his game.

"The snap has to be in an area where I can do something with it," said Rodgers. "I have above-average hands, so I've been able to make some one-handed catches from time to time. But often the location of the snap can occasionally dictate where the ball goes."

Dietrich-Smith wasn't much of a shotgun snapper until playing for Green Bay, so he had to work on it. Assistant offensive-line coach Joel Hilgenberg offered a tip.

"He taught it like it's a catcher throwing back to the pitcher; it's got to become something that's second nature," said Dietrich-Smith. "Not something where you are thinking about it or overthrowing it.

"Screwing up a snap is a pretty big deal. You can't have that."

There are even different styles of snapping in the shotgun. Scott Wells palm-balled it back from under his right shoulder. Some guys put up a floater, others a little knuckler, said Dietrich-Smith.

"Mine's more of a spiral because I've been a long snapper," said Dietrich-Smith. "With the wrist action, I kind of just flick it back there a little bit."

No matter what, Rodgers has to communicate to his center when he's going in the gun.

"Sometimes I will sit there and look through my legs and see where he's at," said Dietrich-Smith. "I hear him calling stuff, but I'm waiting for him to tell me if he's underneath or if he's in the gun. So you're looking around when he starts his cadence."

As the Packers prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers, they could use all kinds of different attacks. The no-huddle. Balance with the run game. And more than likely, the shotgun.

"I like the shotgun with the flexibility that Aaron has, it allows us to get him the best play possible," said left guard T.J. Lang. "I don't really notice a difference when we're under center or in the shotgun. It's something that for whatever reason we like to do a lot and it seems to work out for us."

© 2014, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.

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