The Future is Here: The NFL and the Pistol Offense

[The Goat]

Originally Posted by Lotus

No. The pistol is a formation, not a play. There is no premise that the QB will keep the ball. You can run the pistol without the QB's EVER keeping the ball. You can run the pistol without EVER running a read option.

You seem not to be able to differentiate the pistol (a formation) from the read option (which is a play).

Curious how/why the pistol puts the defense back on its heels in your opinion?

[Defensewins]

Originally Posted by The Goat

Curious how/why the pistol puts the defense back on its heels in your opinion?

Having three guys in the backfield in addition to our incredible QB allows for multiple backfield run options and multiple backfield blockers. This versatility is not present in the the conventional shotgun formation.
Having the QB five or so steps back, instead of under center give the QB time to adjust to an unblocked pass rusher in the play action passing game. Harder to sack the QB. The pistol combines the best of all formations.

But IMO what really makes it work for the Skins is our personnel and play calling. RGIII makes it all go, but unheard of guys like Logan Paulsen, Darrell Young and Niles Paul are a force in the running game and pass protection. I have not seen one them all season get knocked back on their ass while blocking. They are physical players in an age of football where physical play takes a back seat to high flying offenses and high stats passing games. You can not put a stat or value on physical play, because our uneducated NFL fans only wants to see long passes and TD's because that is all they understand.
Balance on offense as always is the key and the a potent down field pass attack from just two WR's, weather it be from Garcon and Morgan or a combination Moss, Aldrick Robinson and Hankerson is vital to keeping LB's and safety's guessing. They can not key on one thing- a physical and deceptive running game or a potent down field passing game. Balance is what makes it all work and keeps the DB's and LB's on their heels.