When selecting a formation to use for this project, I decided to use the classic I formation because it is a staple formation that should be familiar to football fans at all levels of competition. Due to its inclusion of both a Fullback and a Tight End, we can explore the different roles of just about every position - unlike, say, a Run and Shoot offense that does away with both and replaces them with two additional Wide Receivers.
Although the I formation gives a heavier emphasis to running the ball, it is a very balanced formation that uses important passing concepts that are helpful even when playing pass-oriented offenses. I think new players who would like to understand how plays are supposed to work and what to look for when making decisions will find the reads and principles in this very basic I formation offense readily apply to even complex high-powered passing offenses.
Normal offenses do not use only a single formation. Most plays are run only a few times each game from the same formation. Because we are trying to teach the fundamentals of the offense, this project will only use the base I formation and run no more than ten total plays. The goal will be to develop thorough understanding of those plays: how they work, when to use them, when to audible out of them, and how to use them as a package.
The Formation
The I formation is one of the many formations in what EA Sports decided to call the Pro Style Offense in-game. Football Outsiders has a nice article talking about the history of the I formation with a particularly interesting discussion of the Fullback's role.
The classic I formation features two Wide Receivers (WR), one Tight End (TE), one Fullback (FB), one Halfback (HB), and the standard 5 man Offensive Line (OL) and Quarterback (QB):
The side of the formation where the TE lines up is the "strong" side of the formation, and the opposite side is the "weak" side of the formation. In this diagram, the right side is the strong side. In general, the I formation tries to run to the strong side of the formation because the offense has more players to that side who can block for the HB.
The University of Maryland Offense
Since this project is focusing on the core elements of the I formation, the plays it uses and the concepts introduced will apply to just about any Pro Style offensive playbook in NCAA Football. I chose to use the Maryland Terrapins for three reasons:
1. The real Maryland Head Coach, Ralph Friedgen, was a Bobby Ross disciple who is widely regarded as an offensive genius. Ross' offensive philosophy? "You have to be able to run the ball."2. I attended the University of Maryland at College Park for graduate school, so it's fun to play a familiar team.
3. Players in red uniforms are very visible against green turf, and should make screenshots and video clearer.
A note about Play Action Passing
Nowhere in this project will I get into play action passing, which is implemented poorly in EA NCAA Football. Instead, we will work with standard rushing plays and standard passing plays. I believe this is a better way to learn fundamentals, anyway.
Another note, about the Pictures, Video, and Game Settings
I will be using the in-game EA Sports Media highlight pictures and video, so everything is consistent. All of this is being done at the default All-American difficulty setting, and should work fine at the Varsity difficulty setting. I have not played Heisman difficulty much, and don't see it as very relevant. This site is, after all, for beginners who should not be playing on Heisman difficulty.
If you have other slider settings you like or want to play at Heisman difficulty, good for you. I choose not to. I suspect many casual gamers (my target audience - casual gamer but football fans) choose not to as well.
The Plays
From the Maryland playbook, we shall use the following:
Running Plays:
Iso - Inside Run to the TE Side
Power O - Gap Outside Run to the TE Side
HB Counter Wk - Changeup Outside Angle Run to the SE Side
RB Stretch - Outside Zone Run to the TE Side
Passing Plays:
Quick Slants - The Bread and Butter Quick Hitter
Cross In - Dig-Drag Concept out of the I
X Post - Modified Levels Concept out of the I
FB Flare - Inside-Sideline Concept out of the I
These plays were deliberately picked to be very general - some form of them is present in all I formation playbooks. They also cover the full range of needs in a basic offense. There are inside and outside runs to both sides of the formation, there are intermediate range pass plays capable of addressing long yardage situations, and there are fast developing three step drop passes to combat the blitz.
Pre-emptive Note to the Haters
I have not ever been and never will be involved in actual football coaching. I am just a fan who likes to watch football, so none of what you find on this blog should be regarded as credible football analysis. If you are looking for real help from a real professional on serious football questions, you should be looking elsewhere. This is just for fun, and only for a silly video game.