Shotgun May Give More Bang To The Bucs
Published: Sep 5, 2007
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TAMPA - Jon Gruden wants you to know up front that he doesn't dislike the shotgun. It's just that, until now, he never has really had a quarterback who has liked it that much or had a skill that dictated he use it.
"Rich Gannon didn't like the shotgun," Gruden said, referring to the quarterback he had during his coaching days in Oakland. "So it was like, 'You don't like the gun, Rich, the [heck] with it, I don't like it, either.'
"I mean, you try to do some things that your quarterback likes and does really well. And right now we have some players who have allowed us to change our offensive mentality. And with that, well, here's the shotgun."
The one player who has done the most to change Gruden's mind on the shotgun is quarterback Jeff Garcia. Unlike Gannon, Garcia is a fan of the shotgun. He also has the ability to make it a truly effective tool.
That's the key to it all, Gruden said. Though a lot of quarterbacks work out of the shotgun, not every one has the ability to really make it work. Garcia does.
He can catch the ball and stay focused on the defense, Gruden said, and he can get rid of the ball in a hurry. Oh, and he can run. That's just as important as everything else, because the shotgun doesn't mean you never face a blitz.
That's the rub, Gruden says. The big fallacy. That theory that the shotgun guarantees a quarterback more time to get rid of the ball is just that - a theory.
"You still have to block guys," Gruden said. "But there are plusses to it. The deception it creates is one; the versatility it gives you is another; and the backs can do different things out of the gun.
"There are also some operational issues that it causes. There are some snap-count issues that are different, but I think it all comes back to the quarterback. Does it service him? Is it something he does well?
"With Garcia, the answer is yes. And with a guy like [Bruce] Gradkowski, well, there's a guy who I think would rather be in the shotgun than on a date. He loves the shotgun," having used it at Toledo.
"That said, maybe I should have gotten him in it a little earlier last year," Gruden said. "I mean, he's really comfortable back there in the gun. But that's past history. This is a whole new year."
The Quarterback
One of the first things Garcia received from Gruden after joining the Bucs as a free agent in March was a questionnaire. Among the queries, some personal, some not so personal, was this: What are your reasons for liking the shotgun?
"I just like the immediate separation from the line of scrimmage that it gives you," Garcia said, answering the question again five months later. "I like getting that instantaneous distance in your drop. It speeds things up.
"I mean, if teams are bringing a lot of pressure, it helps you to see that a little better, a little faster. And I think it sometimes makes it harder for the defense to know what you're doing."
Sound convincing to you? It was convincing to Gruden. As best as Garcia can remember, there was never really a discussion over the shotgun once he turned in the questionnaire. Gruden didn't have to be talked into it at all, Garcia said.
"I just wrote my reasons and that was pretty much it," he said. "I mean, I like it because it allows you to keep your head up and look around a little bit more and see things from a different perspective."
Not being in the shotgun would be different for Garcia. He has been taking snaps from five yards behind center since he broke into the pros as a quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
He worked in it regularly in San Francisco, too, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl while establishing himself as one of the NFL's most productive quarterbacks. Is it any wonder, then, that Garcia likes the shotgun?
"I have had some success with it," he said.
The Running Back
Cadillac Williams has this dream: He takes a snap directly from center while lined up alongside the quarterback in the shotgun and he zig-zags his way through a stunned defense for a touchdown.
"Oh, man, would I love to see that in our game plan," Williams said. "I mean, I had the ball snapped to me directly in the shotgun in college a couple of times and I loved it. I just love the shotgun, period. I think it's going to be a big plus for us, even in the running game. I think it will open up more rushing lanes for me.
"Man, I can't wait to start running plays out of the gun."
While Williams possibly will have more lanes to rush through, the shotgun also will leave him with more blocking responsibilities.
When the quarterback is under center, Williams doesn't have to worry about linebackers approaching the line and trying to split the gaps between the guards and center on a pass rush. In the gun, stopping those linebackers becomes the duty of the running back.
But that's a small price to pay, Williams said, for the benefits the gun can provide.
"From what I see in the preseason and practice, we're going to get some really good run looks out of it," Williams said. "And with a guy like Jeff, who's got wheels, we can do a whole lot of other things out of the gun, too. …
"I mean, now, defenses won't be able to tee off on us as much anymore."
The Center
If there's a handbook for centers working the shotgun, John Wade hasn't seen it. He has been forced to work from memory these past few months, pulling ideas out of a bank of experiences that last received a deposit four years ago.
The good news is Wade has a good memory. When the former Jacksonville Jaguar started delivering snaps out of the gun again this past spring, he had almost total recall of the nuances and tricks of the trade.
"It starts with the laces," Wade said. "You want your fingers on them but sometimes you get caught or you get in a hurry and you just don't get them there."
When you don't get them there is when you revert to the most basic rule of all - just get the ball there.
"It doesn't have to be perfect," Wade said. "You just don't want it to come at him too fast or too high or too low. If you don't think about it, it's pretty easy. So I honestly try not to over-think it."
That's rule No. 3. Rule No. 4 is to get your head up. A shotgun center has to keep his head down and watch for the quarterback's foot pump because that starts the snap sequence. Then, once he has seen that foot pump, he has to get his head back up.
"You don't want to snap the ball with your head between your legs," Wade said, pointing out how vulnerable he'd be to injury in such a situation. "But I can honestly say that that's never been a problem for me."
The Wide Receiver
Ike Hilliard has a ring. It's big and it's gaudy with white diamonds surrounding blue stones, and it reads 1996 National Champions on the face of it, and Hilliard doesn't believe he would have it were it not for the shotgun.
"It's something we went to in the national title game against Florida State," said Hilliard, who won the ring with the University of Florida. "And I don't think there's any question that it was the key to everything for us. I mean, instead of dropping back from center, [quarterback] Danny [Wuerffel] was able to buy a second or two here and there and slide in the pocket, and that gave us more time to get open and make plays."
Using a formation that Hilliard says was used sparingly at best prior to that, the Gators set a Sugar Bowl record for points while posting a 52-20 victory over Florida State.
"I've always been a fan of it," Hilliard said of the shotgun. "But not just because of the championship. I think it gives the defense something different to look at, something more to prepare for."
Now, Hilliard is hoping something similar will happen here.
"I don't know if Coach Gruden is ready to just cut it loose yet," Hilliard said. "But I'm sure we're going to have some of it and hopefully it will be an asset to us."
The Head Coach
He's on the defensive again, cutting short a questioner who opens up by suggesting that Gruden's previous refusal to use the shotgun suggests he doesn't like it.
"I don't know who said I wasn't a fan of it," Gruden said.
"Yes, this is my first time dabbling in it here. But I like the gun. I like anything that will give us a better chance to score more points and win more games."
Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or at rcummings@
tampatrib.com.
