Run & Shoot

The Run & Shoot is a type of offense in American Football predicated around the use of multiple wide-receiver sets and lots of adjustments depending upon what the defense presents.

Related Topics:
American Football - Wide-receiver

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Pioneered by coach Tiger Ellison in the late 1950s, the offense has evolved over the years into the fast-paced passing game common in football today. While it enjoyed a brief surge in popularity with National Football League teams in the 1990s, today it is primarily practiced at the high school and college level.

Related Topics:
Coach - 1950s - National Football League - 1990s - High school

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Examples of successful Run & Shoot offenses include the Warren Moon-led Houston Oilers of the 1990s coached by Jack Pardee and the present-day offense of the University of Hawaii, coached by June Jones. Quarterbacks in the Run & Shoot usually have gawdy stat-lines and around 50 pass attempts per game. Because of this, numbers put up by Run & Shoot quarterbacks are often discredited as being a "by-product of the system" rather than a result of the quarterback's talent. Such criticism is especially prominent at the college level. Critics are often affirmed when Run & Shoot college quarterbacks struggle in the NFL. A prime example is Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware from the University of Houston.

Related Topics:
Warren Moon - Houston Oilers - 1990s - Jack Pardee - University of Hawaii - June Jones - Heisman Trophy - Andre Ware - University of Houston

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The Run & Shoot fell out of favor in the NFL, and to a lesser extent in the NCAA, because despite regular-season success, the absence of a running game seemed to lead the teams to early playoff exits. Also the defense of the team would be vunerable from being on the field for extended periods of time. The legacy of the Run & Shoot lives on in the offenses it inspired, including Jerry Glanville's no-huddle Redgun Offense, the pass-happy shotgun sets favored by Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer and the Air Raid offense of Mike Leach at Texas Tech (the latter three employed at the NCAA level).

Related Topics:
Jerry Glanville - Steve Spurrier - Urban Meyer - Mike Leach - Texas Tech - NCAA

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