Consistent use=QB death. To even contemplate it, you need 8-9 quality receiving threats, and two accurate, mobile QBs whose bones are made of granite (and who can catch/throw blocks). The QB often would have to dispose of the ball within two seconds, and a shallow disciplined zone combined with an OU caliber pass rush would make this a recipe for disaster. It could work great a few times, until defenses had some film to break down, but I think at Texas it would really just give GD a new way of calling a WR screens.

The Tedford faithful have already done a breakdown for use at Cal.. They are most optimistic than I am.

As for other similar uses, I’ve seen them break stuff like this out in the NFL (I think it was a Steeler’s preseason game), where the whole line shifts to one side of the field. Results were mixed, but it can result in a big play off a sleeping defense.

Seems like the basic ploy of running plays out of a ‘punting’ formation might open up some interesting but less extreme possibilities. Substitute a couple of tight ends for your tackles, set your second QB as an I back and you’re in business.

It looks intriguing until you begin to break it down.

No matter how many people they split out, you can only have five potential receivers on any given pass play, and one of them is going to be standing next to whichever player is QB. The idea of having two QBs sounds terrific and deceptive, but reality is, one of the two will be passing more than the other, so you’ll be able to tell which one you really need to watch for after doing some scouting.

The idea of having the two TEs aligned next to the center as eligible receivers is asinine, b/c there is no way to have them aligned on the field and not have them covered, so they are never eligible receivers.

This leaves the other six potential receivers. You need 7 men on the LOS, so four of those six are going to be on the line, meaning two are covered and therefore ineligible receivers. If you teach your DBs to recognize eligible-ineligible receivers upon coming to the LOS, you’re left with only the 4 receivers they need to cover.

More later....

Okay, since we’ve established that you only have 4/5 receivers like a normal spread, let’s move on to the running game.

The center and two “TEs” are blocking linemen, not potential receivers. Therefore, they are just blockers. I would put a NT right up on the center, having him stunt and slant to different A-gaps.

I would put two LB/DE types on the outside of these three blockers, lined up about 1/2 yd to 1 yd outside the TEs’ shoulders. The job of these two LBs is to completely shut down the running game of the two “QBs”. These two are aligned 7 yds back, so they will have plenty of time to see handoffs. Even if it is only playaction, one can jack the back as he tries to get out of the backfield into his route, while the other rushes the passer. The distance from the LOS and their outside alignment would give them angles to shut down any attempts to run wide, and give them plenty of time to stuff any attempts to run up the middle (to take advantage of the 3-on-1 blocking on the NT). Even if they attempted to pull or trap their two TEs to get a lead blocker, the LBs would be able to jam inside and stuff the run before it gets started.

I just don’t think this scheme is all that great.

If you want a trick formation, go with the Lonesome Polecat or Mike Leach’s Ninja series that he ran at OU and Tech.