Spread offense

“Spread offense” may also refer to the Four corners offense developed by Dean Smith.

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Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. The quarterback is key in the spread offense.

The Spread Offense is an offensive American football scheme that is used at every level of the game including the NFL, CFL, NCAA, NAIA, and high schools across America. The spread offense begins with a no-huddle approach with the quarterback in the shotgun formation a high percentage of the time. The fundamental nature of the spread offense involves spreading the field horizontally using 3, 4, and even 5-receiver sets, as well as wide splits between the offensive linemen. This opens up multiple vertical gaps for both the running and passing game to exploit, as the defense is forced to spread itself thin across the field to cover everyone.

There are many forms of the spread system that can be likened to a spectrum in the same way political structures are. The first of the extremes is the pass-oriented version typified by Mike Leach's Texas Tech Red Raiders, Gary Pinkel's Missouri Tigers and Hal Mumme's New Mexico State Aggies. This version employs multiple spread sets and is heavily reliant on the quarterback and coaches being able to call the appropriate play at the line of scrimmage based on how the defense sets up. The other extreme version is the Spread Option, used in 2007 by Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia and by Jerry Moore at Appalachian State. Despite the multi-receiver sets, the spread option is a run-first scheme which requires a quarterback that is comfortable carrying the ball, a mobile offensive line that can pull and trap effectively, and receivers that can hold their blocks. The essence of the spread option is misdirection. Effectively, this is the old triple option except that it utilizes spread sets. In particular, the quarterback must be able to read the defensive end and determine whether he is collapsing down the line or playing upfield contain.

A third, rare version of the spread offense is the Pistol Offense which is used by Chris Ault's Nevada Wolf Pack and some high schools across the nation. The Pistol Offense focuses on using the run with various offensive players, and calls for the quarterback to line up about three yards behind the center and take a short shotgun snap at the start of each play.

History of the Spread Offense

While Steve Nuss is commonly referred to as the father of the spread offense, Glenn Ellison is the real father. His version is known as the Run & Shoot offense; however, the scheme (which was originally started as a run-first offense in 1958) has evolved over the past forty-five years into a much more complex scheme. Its first evolution came about in 1962 when Mouse Davis adapted his philosophy to Ellison's but created a more pass-first version. Today coaches like June Jones (Hawaiʻi), Jerry Moore (Appalachian State), Rich Rodriguez (Michigan), Guy Morriss (Baylor), Tony Franklin (Auburn Tigers), and Mike Bellotti (Oregon) and most recently Urban Meyer (Florida) have taken the spread offense to a new level. High school coaches across the nation have adapted some version of this scheme with great success (most notably Todd Dodge, formerly of Southlake Carroll High School in North Texas - now with the North Texas Mean Green). Several college programs have used some version of the spread offense, among them:

• Appalachian State
• Arizona
• Auburn
• Baylor
• BYU
• Clemson
• Florida
• Florida State
• Hawaiʻi
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• LSU
• Miami
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nevada
• Northwestern
• Ohio State
• Oklahoma State
• Oregon
• Purdue
• Rice
• South Carolina
• South Florida
• Texas
• Texas Tech
• Utah
• West Virginia

Professional teams have also used various versions of this scheme beginning with the former Houston Oilers, the Atlanta Falcons, and Detroit Lions. In addition, the San Diego Chargers (1980s) and the various West Coast schemes developed by Bill Walsh and the San Francisco 49ers (1980s) stemmed their offenses, in many ways, from Ellison's and Davis' designs.

The University of Houston Cougars also have used a spread offense under Art Briles and were known for the Run & Shoot offense under Jack Pardee.