July 26, 2008

Is the A-11 Pluto the spread offense of the future?

When the coaches at tiny Piedmont High School sat down in an attempt to scheme their way to the championship, they didn't have any idea if their new offense was even legal. A couple of high school playoffs later, the A-11 Pluto offense is changing high school football and may represent the future of the spread formation.

The A-11 offense -- or "Pluto", as it was first known -- presents all 11 offensive players as if they were eligible, hence "A-11". The offense is best summarized as west coast meets run & shoot meets spread option.

You essentially put a center, two QBs and a whole mess of skill players on the field for every snap.

The A-11 features up to all eleven players wearing an eligible receiver jersey number, either 1-49 or 80-99, with two quarterbacks in the shotgun formation, and with nobody under center - thereby meeting the criteria for a scrimmage kick formation. In their base sets, Piedmont has a center, and a tight end on each side, and three wide receivers to the right, and left respectively.

The "base" scheme for the A-11 is essentially a 3-5-3 spread with one of QBs at least seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, making it a legal formation.

While only five players can be eligible to catch a pass and seven players must be on the line of scrimmage, the formation present the entire team to opposing defenses. The effect causes defenses to make shifts after the snap, rather than before, as there can be no way to know which players are eligible at the line.

Peidmont head coach Kurt Bryan explains the impact of the A-11 on opposing defenses.

"It presents a different set of challenges for defenses because they have to account for which guys go out or might go out," Bryan said. "Those guys who are ineligible to go down the field and catch a pass, they can take a reverse pitch or a negative screen or a hitch behind the line of scrimmage.

"We've opened up the game to the extreme with the rules already in place."

On first blush, it would be easy to dismiss the scheme as an injury magnet, especially for your QBs who lack the protection of a traditional O-line. That assumption, however, requires the defense to ignore the spread and attack with a traditional D-line... which doesn't happen.

Bryan says Peidmont gave up only 20 sacks on the season, mainly because there is so much motion within the offense.

As a result, Peidmont has actually experienced a decrease in the number and severity of player injuries.

"An unforeseen benefit for us has been a major increase in the safety and protection of our players. We have not had major injuries to our offensive players in a game or practice due to the spread out nature of the A-11, and this is a major selling point. It really helps the players of the much smaller schools stay healthier during the season, which in turn allows schools like us to remain competitive throughout the entire year."

Coach Bryan relates that the A-11 also helps cutdown on concussions and unseen injuries, as you no longer have that extreme contact on the line of scrimmage. And, since your essentially using your typical O-line players as depth on the D-line, the team can keep fresher players on the field throughout the game.

So... how soon will we see the A-11 implemented in FBS college football? Variations of the A-11 will be showing up on Saturdays this season, but not the "pure" A-11.

NCAA rules require that all scrimmage kick formations make it obvious that a kick may be attempted. In other words, you can't drop a QB seven yards behind scrimmage without some hope that he's going to kick the ball. But that doesn't mean the A-11 formation won't be adapted for NCAA football... immediately.

Bryan said coaches from 35 to 40 Division I-A schools, and from every conference, have contacted him and Humphries looking for information on the offense.

...

Bryan anticipates the A-11 offense to translate to college ball about 12-15 times per game, particularly on fourth downs, third-and-long plays, kicking situations and plays at the end of a half. Trick plays also would be a likely home for A-11 principles.

Bryan isn't surprised to see college coaches embracing the A-11. The offense is based on the same principles of the spread and the run-and-shoot, finding running lanes and open space. Of the college programs seeking information on Piedmont's offense, Bryan said about 70 percent of them run some version of the spread.

I'm definitely don't expect to see the A-11 as a base formation for any college team, at least not for a few years, but Bryan is spot on in his assessment that it is not a difficult transition from spread-option to A-11. In fact, the Florida Gators ran a wide spread that looked something like what the A-11 preaches on one play against LSU. (Video link courtesy of the magical mystical Gatorhippy.)

Since the formation offers up hundreds (if not thousands) of permutations for playcalling, I don't think it's unrealistic to say that you'll see variations on the A-11 this year, especially as teams look for an edge to change the balance of a game.

So... next time it's third and seventeen, down by seven, late third quarter... don't be surprised if the O-line runs off and the hands team runs on for some A-11 Pluto.

Posted by Kevin Donahue

Comments:

Is the A-11 Pluto the spread offense of the future?
When the coaches at tiny Piedmont High School sat down in an attempt to scheme their way to the championship, they didn't have any idea if their new offense was even legal. A couple of high school playoffs later, the A-11 Pluto offense is changing high school football and may represent the future of the spread formation. The A-11 offense -- or "Pluto", as it was first known -- presents all 11 offensive players as if they were eligible, hence "A-11". The offense is best summarized as west coast meets run & shoot meets spread option. You essentially put a center, two QBs and a whole mess of skill players on the field for every snap.
The A-11 features up to all eleven players wearing an eligible receiver jersey number, either 1-49 or 80-99, with two quarterbacks in the shotgun formation, and with nobody under center - thereby meeting the criteria for a scrimmage kick formation. In their base sets, Piedmont has a center, and a tight end on each side, and three wide receivers to the right, and left respectively.
The "base" scheme for the A-11 is essentially a 3-5-3 spread with one of QBs at least seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, making it a legal formation. While only five players can be eligible to catch a pass and seven players must be on the line of scrimmage, the formation present the entire team to opposing defenses. The effect causes defenses to make shifts after the snap, rather than before, as there can be no way to know which players are eligible at the line.
Peidmont head coach Kurt Bryan explains the impact of the A-11 on opposing defenses.
"It presents a different set of challenges for defenses because they have to account for which guys go out or might go out," Bryan said. "Those guys who are ineligible to go down the field and catch a pass, they can take a reverse pitch or a negative screen or a hitch behind the line of scrimmage. "We've opened up the game to the extreme with the rules already in place."

On first blush, it would be easy to dismiss the scheme as an injury magnet, especially for your QBs who lack the protection of a traditional O-line. That assumption, however, requires the defense to ignore the spread and attack with a traditional D-line... which doesn't happen. Bryan says Peidmont gave up only 20 sacks on the season, mainly because there is so much motion within the offense. As a result, Peidmont has actually experienced a decrease in the number and severity of player injuries.
"An unforeseen benefit for us has been a major increase in the safety and protection of our players. We have not had major injuries to our offensive players in a game or practice due to the spread out nature of the A-11, and this is a major selling point. It really helps the players of the much smaller schools stay healthier during the season, which in turn allows schools like us to remain competitive throughout the entire year."
Coach Bryan relates that the A-11 also helps cutdown on concussions and unseen injuries, as you no longer have that extreme contact on the line of scrimmage. And, since your essentially using your typical O-line players as depth on the D-line, the team can keep fresher players on the field throughout the game. So... how soon will we see the A-11 implemented in FBS college football? Variations of the A-11 will be showing up on Saturdays this season, but not the "pure" A-11. NCAA rules require that all scrimmage kick formations make it obvious that a kick may be attempted. In other words, you can't drop a QB seven yards behind scrimmage without some hope that he's going to kick the ball. But that doesn't mean the A-11 formation won't be adapted for NCAA football... immediately.
Bryan said coaches from 35 to 40 Division I-A schools, and from every conference, have contacted him and Humphries looking for information on the offense. ... Bryan anticipates the A-11 offense to translate to college ball about 12-15 times per game, particularly on fourth downs, third-and-long plays, kicking situations and plays at the end of a half. Trick plays also would be a likely home for A-11 principles. Bryan isn't surprised to see college coaches embracing the A-11. The offense is based on the same principles of the spread and the run-and-shoot, finding running lanes and open space. Of the college programs seeking information on Piedmont's offense, Bryan said about 70 percent of them run some version of the spread.
I'm definitely don't expect to see the A-11 as a base formation for any college team, at least not for a few years, but Bryan is spot on in his assessment that it is not a difficult transition from spread-option to A-11. In fact, the Florida Gators ran a wide spread that looked something like what the A-11 preaches on one play against LSU. (Video link courtesy of the magical mystical Gatorhippy.) Since the formation offers up hundreds (if not thousands) of permutations for playcalling, I don't think it's unrealistic to say that you'll see variations on the A-11 this year, especially as teams look for an edge to change the balance of a game. So... next time it's third and seventeen, down by seven, late third quarter... don't be surprised if the O-line runs off and the hands team runs on for some A-11 Pluto.