Why the Spread…?
While I’m sure many football fans and players are taking it for granted these days that the spread offense is the way to go, especially given its enormous success at the NCAA Division 1 Level, it’s important to really consider the tactics and reasoning behind employing a spread offense.
First and foremost, the spread offense is a numbers game. If an offense aligns in a more conventional, pro I set with one or two tight ends, they will likely face at least 8 defenders in the “box” area – in other words, they will see at least 8 defenders playing to stop the run. By splitting out tight ends or running backs into a spread look, however, the offense will force the defense to spread with them, drawing players out of the box. This notion is especially true of the zone read style spread, which is founded almost exclusively on this principle: the fewer guys there are in the box, the fewer guys you have to block to run the ball inside effectively.
Second, spreading the field horizontally via alignment creates vertical gaps in the defense, or just more space in general. In cluttered areas like the stacked 8 man “box,” it is the bigger more powerful team that wins. In open space, the game changes entirely and favors the better athletes. Thus the spread, by creating more gaps and space, allows a smaller team to gain an advantage with their speed.
Finally (and I will cover this in more detail soon), spread alignments and the shotgun formation create better angles and opportunities for option football – the shotgun alignment allows for the zone read play and allows the offense to better use the QB as weapon in the ground game (it is important to remember that in the old school pro set style of football, the QB represents essentially a wasted player in the run game). In shotgun spread sets, offenses are able to use angles to more effectively practice option football. And of course, when run correctly, nothing can be more effective than an offensive scheme based mostly on reacting on the fly to defensive play.
It is for these 3 main reasons (among various others) that teams today choose the spread offense. It is dynamic and explosive, constantly breeds big plays, and allows teams with smaller and weaker personnel to gain an advantage with speed and quickness.
Blue chip QB recruits will begin avoiding spread-option schools in favor of schools that run “conventional” multiple formation pro-style offenses. A kid who thinks he has a chance to make the NFL will want to play in a system that will best prepare him for the transition. Mark Sanchez couldn’t touch Graham Harrell’s numbers, but Sanchez was drafted #5 overall while Harrell went undrafted. The best high school QBs in the nation know that if they want that big rookie payday, they better not sign on for a team that runs a spread attack.