The I formation is one of the most common offensive formations in American football. A formation in American football refers to the position players line up in before the start of a down. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The I formation draws its name from the vertical (as viewed from the opposing endzone) alignment of quarterback, fullback, and running back, particularly when contrasted with the same players' alignments in the T formation. The end zone is a term used in both Canadian football and American football. Quarterback ( QB) is a position in American and Canadian football. In American football, a fullback ( FB) is a position in the offensive backfield A running back ( RB) is the position of a player on an American or Canadian football team who usually lines up in the offensive backfield. In American football, a T formation is a formation used by the Offensive team in which three Running backs line up in a row about five yards behind
The formation begins with the usual 5 offensive linemen (2 offensive tackles, 2 guards, and a center), the quarterback under center, and two backs in-line behind the quarterback. In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time The base variant adds a tight end to one side of the line and two wide receivers, one at each end of the line. The tight end ( TE) is a position in American football on the Offensive team. A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football
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History
Tom Nugent is credited with inventing the I formation at Virginia Military Institute in 1954 as a replacement for the single-wing and an alternative to the T formation. Thomas N "Tom" Nugent ( February 24 1913 &ndash January 19 2006) was an NCAA Division I College football The Virginia Military Institute ( VMI) located in Lexington Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) In American and Canadian football, a single-wing formation is any offensive formation having exactly one Wingback and one Tight end In American football, a T formation is a formation used by the Offensive team in which three Running backs line up in a row about five yards behind [1] By 1962, John McKay's USC team won the national title with an offense built on the I. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The phrase "USC Trojans" also refers to the University of Southern California student body in general [2] Tom Osborne, head football coach at the University of Nebraska, further popularized the formation in the early 1970s by using it as the base for his option offense. The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. [3] NFL teams followed the success of the I at the college level and adopted it as well. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league.
Typical roles
The I formation is typically employed in running situations. In the I formation, the tailback starts six to eight yards behind the scrimmage from an upright position, where he can survey the defense. The formation gives the tailback more opportunities for finding weak points in the defense to run into.
The fullback typically fills a blocking, rather than rushing or receiving, role in the modern game. With the fullback in the backfield as a blocker, runs can be made to either side of the line with his additional blocking support. This is contrasted with the use of tight ends as blockers who, being set up at the end of the line, are able to support runs to one side of the line only. The fullback can also be used as a feint—since the defense can spot him more easily than the running back, they may be drawn in his direction while the running back takes the ball the opposite way.
Despite the emphasis on the running game, the I formation remains an effective base for a passing attack. The formation supports up to three wide receivers and many running backs serve as an additional receiving threat. While the fullback is rarely a pass receiver, he serves as a capable additional pass blocker protecting the quarterback before the pass. The running threat posed by the formation also lends itself to the play-action pass. A play action pass is a type of American football play The play action or "PA" for short appears to be a running play but is actually a pass play in this way The flexible nature of the formation also helps prevent defenses from focusing their attention on either the run or pass.
Common variations
Many subtypes of the I formation exist, generally emphasizing the running or passing strengths of the base version.
- The Big I places a tight end on each side of the offensive line (removing a wide receiver). Coupled with the fullback's blocking, this allows two additional blockers for a run in either direction. This is a running-emphasis variant.
- The Power I replaces one wide receiver with a third back (fullback or running back) in the backfield, set up to one side of the fullback. This is a running-emphasis variant.
- The Jumbo or Goal-line formation further extends the Power I or Big I, adding a second tight end and/or third tackle to the line, respectively. This variant has no wide receivers and is all but exclusively a running formation intended to reliably gain minimal yardage, most commonly two yards or less.
- The Three-wide I replaces the tight end with a third wide receiver. This is a passing-emphasis variant.
- The Maryland I (also known as the Stack I) is similar to the Power I except that instead of placing the third back to one side of the fullback, the fullback, third back, and tailback line up directly in front of each other (hence the term “Stack”). Obviously, this is a running-emphasis variant made popular by the University of Maryland football team of the 1950's.
- The Tight I is similar to the Maryland I except that the an extra back is aligned between the quarterback and fullback in the alignment. The split end and the player who normally lines up as flanker are both aligned on the line of scrimmage split away from the end man on the line of scrimmage. This formation was used by the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings so as to create confusion in the Minnesota defense's lining up against the Chiefs offense. The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City Missouri. Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one (after Super Bowl III) to officially bear The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based out of Minneapolis Minnesota.
The I formation, in any variant, can also be modified as Strong or Weak. This formation is commonly called an Offset I. In either case, the fullback lines up roughly a yard laterally to his usual position. Strong refers to a move towards the TE side of the formation (Primary TE, or flanker's side when in a "big" 2TE set), weak in the opposite direction. These modifications have little effect on expected play call. However, the Offset I allows a fullback to more easily avoid blockers and get out of the backfield to become a receiver.
In professional football
In the NFL, the I formation is less frequently used than in college, as the use of the fullback as a blocker has given way to formations with additional tight ends and wide receivers, who may be called on to block during running plays. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. College football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, Colleges and military academies In American football, a fullback ( FB) is a position in the offensive backfield The tight end ( TE) is a position in American football on the Offensive team. A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football The increasingly common ace formation replaces the fullback with an additional receiver, who lines up along the line of scrimmage. Single set back (also known as the "Lone Setback" or "Ace" formation or "Oneback" or "Solo" is an offensive base formation in American The I will typically be used in short-yardage and goal line situations.
See also
References
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