[Pokes12]

Originally Posted by SkinsFan28

Well, it's a standard hand-off, but the defense is down one man if an OLB or DE stays with the qb each time. That is kind of the point why a runner like Morris or Gore who can get yards after initial contact can excel when the QB can freeze one of the defensive starters, if even for just 1 second.

For the record, teams using the pistol formation in the second half of the season (when d coordinators all had tape from Griffin's first half, and Newton last year) against non-pistol teams:
SF: 7-1, one OT loss to St Louis, avg points scored 30.1
Sea: 4-1, only loss to Atl in playoffs, avg points scored 35.8
Was: 9-5, avg points scored 27.8 (didn't count the carolina loss, or the cleveland win)

[View Full Quote]Just to be clear, those stats are from the time a team implemented the pistol as a standard part of it's playbook (so when CK started, and in Seattle's case from the Bears game as most commentators agree that is when they added it in to their playbook as a regular part). I didn't count pistol vs pistol games because they would obviously balance out, one winner and one loser per game.

Certainly defensive coordinators are going to study up on this offense, and figure out ways to reduce it's effectiveness, but these numbers would seem to indicate that a lot of OC's are going to try and find ways to bring parts of the scheme into theirs as well.

Really good post. This is why I think Romo can execute the Pistol as well as these other QBs. He has the added ability to make the correct read, hand off or fade back and toss it to an open wide out.