The pistol is an offensive formation created by former University of Nevada head coach Chris Ault that has led to massive innovations at every level of football.
I first witnessed the pistol being used in 2007 when then-Nevada Wolfpack QB Colin Kaepernick lit up scoreboards as a redshirt freshman. In the pistol, the quarterback lines up 4 yards behind the center with a halfback lined up directly behind the QB at a distance of about 3 yards.
Typically in the shotgun formation, a QB will line up between 6-7 yards behind the center. The upside is that there’s less foot movement in shotgun compared to a five-step or seven-step dropback during passing plays, allowing the QB to have more time to scan the field before the pass rush reaches him and the QB is already in position to throw the ball within 1-2 seconds after the snap.
The downside is that the running game no longer has the ability to penetrate the inside with a similarly effective threat compared to plays where the QB is under center.
The pistol is the best of both worlds. The rushing attack is still straightforward, right up the middle, while the QB gets the ball in his hands faster than he would in shotgun.
In 2023, Sean McVay used an unprecedented amount of the pistol compared to years prior. Why? Because McVay is able to do whatever he wants with the formation.
The pistol allows MAtthew Stafford to still be a gunslinger, it gives running backs the ability to run up the middle with effectiveness and the RPO is virtually impossible to defend without the defense showing their cards in pre-snap formations.
Before the RPO, there was the read option or just the option offense. In said offense at Nevada, employing these tactics with Kaepernick, he threw for over 2,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.
Now, how McVay has used the pistol has already been covered so I’m presenting a new idea. The Run N’ Shoot offense run out of pistol.
College football fans saw its effectiveness with the 2010 Hawaii Warriors where their combinations of inside runs with screen passes and post snap route changes lit up the Western Athletic Conference.
With route-running gurus like Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the pistol gives Stafford the ability to get the ball in his hands fast and the Run N’ Shoot element gives receivers the ability to diagnose coverages and find the pockets of space behind the defense with great effectiveness.
For speedsters like Demarcus Robinson or Tutu Atwell, a variety of screen concepts work well in the system, including the Rams’ patented screen pass into a hook and ladder.
The pistol also forces defenses to centralize their defensive assignments to prevent getting gashed up the middle, typically leaving defensive backs on uncomfortable islands for extended periods of time.
The best part is the pistol’s versatility. In prior years, the pistol would employ either four receivers or 11 personnel (3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 RB). Nowadays, teams are able to use all types of personnel with the formation and they are able to flex out of the pistol into the shotgun if they so desire.
With the genius of McVay and the versatility of the pistol, perhaps the unique formation is the key to yet another Super Bowl victory.