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What makes it harder for a RB to run from shotgun?

Posted on 8/27/25 at 10:25 pm
Posted by JamalMurry27
Tennessee Titans
Member since May 2023
7283 posts
Posted on 8/27/25 at 10:25 pm
No forward momentum when getting the ball? Less time to see the defense? It seems the sec doesn’t have hosses anymore in the backfield and your good college backs are gonna come from teams like Boise or other random programs who play easy teams and are willing to turn around and hand it off. Been a while since McFadden, Henry, fournette, lattimore, gurley, Chubb, and countless others were in the backfield. Kinda surprising a program can’t win at a high level running the football anymore even if it’s Houston nutt style. Yeah defenses are good but Lbs are also smaller to be able to cover receivers. Youd think a 2010ish style offense if it had good players could control the ball and score just like they used to….but I guess those days are gone. Saban “struggled with the spread” seems to be what killed it off in the sec. But how much did he really struggle with it. All losses were close last second and he always beat the opponent when playing again. Georgia seems like the program that should still be playing that way with the big Dawgs
Posted by iBack8569
Member since Dec 2021
1575 posts
Posted on 8/27/25 at 10:51 pm to
I don’t think schemes are necessarily making it harder to run, just backs are not getting as many carries. Everyone uses multiple RBs to reduce the wear and tear, so the days of an every down bell cow guy are pretty much over. 15-20 touches in a game is considered a lot by modern standards. If a back gets to 1400 yards in a 12 game season he is truly elite. Ashton Jeanty was an enigma even at a lower caliber school.

But, the days of lining up in the I formation as a base offense are definitely long gone.
Posted by BatonrougeCajun
Somewhere in Texas
Member since Feb 2008
7374 posts
Posted on 8/27/25 at 11:00 pm to
Depends on what you are running. Inside zone is very easy to defend against now but offenses still make it their bread and butter run play. Wide zone is really the only decent zone scheme in today’s game. Gap schemes like buck sweep, pin and pull, power, counter and dart variations are much more effective in the modern era but also take a lot more coaching and practice reps which takes away from developing the passing game. Teams are content on running inside zone for 3-5 yards a pop until that extra hat comes into the box
Posted by Clark14
Earth
Member since Dec 2014
26059 posts
Posted on 8/27/25 at 11:08 pm to
McFadden played qb quite a bit and that’s where he could be most effective because he could throw as well. He was the best all around offensive.player to get screwed out of a heisman that there ever was. That trophy is a joke.
Posted by RolltidePA
North Carolina
Member since Dec 2010
4991 posts
Posted on 8/28/25 at 7:57 am to
quote:

What makes it harder for a RB to run from shotgun?


In a general sense without getting into specific plays, blocking assignments or formations; the conventional reasoning is that the running back is deeper, the play takes longer to develop because it takes time for the snap to get to the QB and then typically they are starting from a standstill instead of running to the line.

Shotgun formations are usually run from 11 personnel or similar, which means one back, one TE and 3 WRs. That means you're running from a lighter personnel on the field. There's also less effective play-action make it easier for a defense to diagnose run vs. pass and react more quickly.

End of the day, most elite teams can be multiple and do a bit of everything, but it's really hard to recruit and prepare a team to do that.
Posted by VADawg
Wherever
Member since Nov 2011
47583 posts
Posted on 8/28/25 at 8:04 am to
quote:

It seems the sec doesn’t have hosses anymore in the backfield


Top tier high school prospects are switching positions because RBs are struggling to get lucrative second contracts in the NFL.
Posted by FightinTigersDammit
Louisiana North
Member since Mar 2006
45808 posts
Posted on 8/28/25 at 8:20 am to
So many high schools run the spread, O-line men are less proficient at run blocking.
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