American football strategy


Strategy plays a crucial role in American football. Both teams carefully plan various aspects of their gameplay in an effort to win. This includes deciding on formations, selecting players for specific positions, and assigning roles and instructions to each player on offense and defense.
Throughout the game, each team constantly adjusts their strategy, responding to the other's strengths and weaknesses. They experiment with different approaches to outmaneuver or overpower their opponent. On offense, a team's objective is to score through touchdowns and field goals, all while remaining vigilant of the opposing team's defensive strategy. On defense, the goal is to prevent the offense from scoring, as well as attempting to intercept the ball and shift momentum in their favor.

Offensive strategy

The primary goal of the offense is to score points. To achieve this, coaches and players design and execute plays based on several factors: the players involved, the opponent's defensive strategy, the time remaining before halftime or the end of the game, and the number of points needed to secure a win. Offensively, teams can also aim to prolong possession of the ball to limit the opponent's scoring opportunities. Drives, or offensive scoring chances, come to an end when the team either scores, fails to move the ball 10 yards and must punt the ball or kick a field goal, or turns it over via fumble, interception, or failing to convert on fourth down.

Offensive players

On offense, there are three types of players: linemen, backs, and wide receivers. The positions and duties of these players can vary depending on the offensive scheme used by each team.
While position names and abbreviations may differ between team playbooks, the following are among the most commonly recognized:

Linemen

  • Center: The center snaps the ball to the quarterback. Like the other four linemen, their duties include both run blocking and pass blocking. The center is also typically responsible for calling the blocking schemes, directing the other linemen on which defenders to block.
  • Guard: Guards line up on either side of the center. They are generally larger than the center and are usually stronger at run blocking than pass blocking.
  • Tackle: Tackles are positioned at the ends of the offensive line. They are often the largest linemen (at the NFL level, typically at least and sometimes as tall as, but they must also have excellent hand and foot coordination to effectively protect against pass rushers. For teams with a right-handed quarterback, the left tackle is often the best pass blocker, as they are responsible for preventing a "blindside" pass rush the quarterback might not see. Right tackles carry the same responsibility for left-handed quarterbacks.

    Backs

Backs are named for their position behind the line of scrimmage at the start of a play.
  • Quarterback: The quarterback lines up directly behind the center to receive the ball in an action called a "snap" and puts it into play. The quarterback's main role is to either pass the ball or hand it to a running back who carries it downfield. In some situations, the quarterback may run the ball themself, either due to the play design or a lack of other options. Occasionally, the quarterback can also act as a receiver during a "trick play" by catching a pass from another player. The quarterback communicates the play to the team, both in the huddle before the snap and at the line of scrimmage. Quarterbacks must read defenses quickly and throw the ball accurately, making them the offensive leader and often considered the most important player on the field.
  • Fullback: The fullback lines up behind the quarterback and participates in running, blocking, and occasionally catching passes. In many offensive schemes, the fullback is classified as a running back but is generally larger and more physical, with a focus on blocking rather than running or receiving.
  • Halfback: The halfback, also known as the "tailback" or more commonly a running back, lines up behind the quarterback and, often, the fullback. Sometimes, the halfback will line up directly behind the center to receive the snap. Their responsibilities include running the ball, catching passes, blocking, and occasionally passing the ball in trick plays.

    Receivers

  • Wide receiver: Depending on the formation, an offense may have anywhere from zero to five wide receivers. Most basic formations feature either two or three WRs, who may line up on the line of scrimmage or behind the line of scrimmage. WRs are among the fastest and most agile players on the team, with their primary role being to catch passes and gain yards after the catch. Effective receivers are also good blockers and, in some cases, can function as running backs in trick plays.
  • Tight end: The tight end was traditionally a blocking position but is now considered a combination wide receiver and lineman. TEs typically line up on the line of scrimmage next to the tackles. They are among the most versatile athletes on the field, needing to be strong enough to block both in running and passing plays, while also being agile enough to run pass routes and catch the football.

    Offensive formations

Before the ball is snapped, the offensive team lines up in a formation. The type of formation used is determined by the game situation. Teams often employ "special formations" for specific scenarios, such as obvious passing situations, short yardage, or goal-line plays. Some formations are designed for a particular game to confuse the defense.
There are nearly unlimited possible formations, but a few of the more common ones include:
When the team is in formation and the quarterback gives a signal—either by calling out instructions or using a non-verbal cue known as a "silent count"—the centre snaps the ball to the quarterback, and a play begins.

Running plays

A running play occurs when the quarterback hands the ball to another player, who then attempts to carry it past the line of scrimmage to gain yards. Alternatively, the quarterback may keep the ball and run beyond the line of scrimmage themself. In both scenarios, the offensive line's primary job is to run block, preventing defensive players from tackling the ball carrier.
The choice of running play depends on the offensive team’s strengths, the defensive weaknesses, and the distance required to score a touchdown or gain a first down. There are many types of running plays, including:
When a passing play occurs, the backs and receivers run specific patterns, or routes, while the quarterback throws the ball to one of the players. During these plays, the offensive line's primary job is to prevent defensive players from tackling the quarterback before he throws the ball or disrupting the quarterback in any other way during the play.
Passing plays generally cover more ground than running plays, making them ideal for situations where the offensive team needs to gain a large number of yards. Even if a team does not need to gain a large number of yards, relying solely on running plays could make the offense predictable. Run plays are often used to tire out defensive linemen and to set up passing plays.
One way to set up a passing play is through a play-action pass. In this strategy, the quarterback and running back fake a run play while the receivers run routes. The goal is to deceive the defense into thinking it's a run play, allowing the receivers to get open for an easier completion. Successfully running the ball can also make play-action passes more effective, as the defense may be caught off guard, leading to bigger plays if the pass is completed.
Different types of pass plays include:
One general rule teams must consider when developing their passing strategy is that only certain players are allowed to catch forward passes. If a player who is not an eligible receiver receives a thrown pass, the team may be penalized. However, if a team reports to the referee before a play that a normally ineligible receiver will act as an eligible receiver for that play, that player is allowed to catch passes. Teams use this strategy occasionally to confuse the defense or force them to pay more attention to potential pass catchers.

Specific offensive strategies

Using a combination of passing and running plays, the offense aims to gain the yards needed for a first down, touchdown, or field goal. Over the years, several football coaches and offensive coordinators have developed well-known and widely used offensive strategies:
Distinct from the offensive strategies or philosophies that govern how a team moves the ball down the field—whether through downfield passes, short passes, or inside runs—are the methods used for calling plays. These play calling systems often developed alongside certain offensive strategies, though they can be adapted to any strategy. The differences between these systems lie in the specific language used to communicate plays to players. In the NFL, three basic systems predominate:
  • The West Coast system: Developed alongside the West Coast offense, this system uses specific words to describe formations, blocking schemes, and routes. A typical play name might be "FB West Right Slot 372 Y Stick." Here, "FB West Right Slot" describes the formation, "372" details the blocking scheme, and "Y Stick" indicates the route run by the primary receiver.
  • The Coryell system: Associated with the Air Coryell offense, this system relies on a numerical code known as a "route tree." Play calling uses a three-digit number, such as 896, where each digit directs a specific receiver on their route: the leftmost receiver runs an "8" or post route, the middle receiver runs a "9" or go route, and the rightmost receiver runs a "6" or in route.
  • The Erhardt–Perkins system: Developed in the 1970s by two assistant coaches with the New England Patriots, this system uses single-word concepts rather than assigning roles to each player. For instance, a word like "ghost" instructs each receiver on their actions. This system separates the concept from the formation, so regardless of the formation, each player runs the appropriate pattern based on the "ghost" concept. This method emphasizes memorization, allows for more efficient communication, and offers greater flexibility by enabling every play to be run from any formation.