Американдық футболдағы "Т" формациясы

Formation used in American football by the offensive team

In American football, a T formation (frequently called the full house formation in modern usage, sometimes the Robust T) is a formation used by the offensive team in which three running backs line up in a row about five yards behind the quarterback, forming the shape of a "T". Numerous variations of the T formation have been developed, including the Power T, where two tight ends are used, the Pro T, which uses one tight end and one wide receiver, or the Wing T, where one of the running backs (or wingback) lines up one step behind and to the side of the tight end. Any of these can be run using the original spacing, which produced a front of about seven yards, or the Split T spacing, where the linemen were farther apart and the total length of the line was from 10 to 16 yards.

The T formation is often said to be the oldest offensive formation in American football and is claimed to have been invented by Walter Camp in 1882. However, as the forward pass was legalized, the original T became obsolete in favor of formations such as the single wing. Innovations, such as a smaller, more throwing friendly ball, along with the invention of the hand to hand snap in the 1930s, led to the T's revival.

The original T formation is seldom used today, but it was successful in the first half of the 20th century. The formation led to a faster paced, higher scoring game. The formation was aided by a rule change before the 1945 season, when the quarterback was no longer required to stand at least 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. The T formation was made famous by Stanford University under Clark Shaughnessy in 1940, Notre Dame under Frank Leahy; the Fighting Irish won four national titles in the 1940s, and by the University of Oklahoma in the 1950s to win 47 games in a row and three national titles. The formation was also the key weapon used by the Chicago Bears, who had used the T formation since the team's inception in 1920, to defeat the Washington Redskins, 73–0, in the 1940 NFL Championship Game and immortalized afterward in their fight song. Shaughnessy helped the Bears prepare for the game against the Redskins. He has been called "The father of the T formation".

While rarely used today, the key innovations of the T still dominate offensive football. The T was the first offense in which the quarterback took the snap from under center and then either handed off or dropped back to pass. Other offenses up until the 1940s used the quarterback (usually called the "blocking back") primarily as a blocker and the snap usually went to a halfback or tailback. For example, in 1942 and 1943 Hall of Fame passers Sammy Baugh and Sid Luckman both made the Associated Press All Pro Team Baugh as tailback and Luckman as quarterback. With the T formation, the quarterback under center makes offenses very unpredictable since it is difficult to predict the play called based on formation alone. Second, the T allowed running backs to receive the hand off from the quarterback and hit the "hole" at near full speed. This allowed more complex blocking schemes and gave offenses a temporary, but significant advantage. Other advantages offered by the T were: the ability of the quarterback to fake various handoffs (which led to "option" plays), plays developed much faster than with the single wing, far fewer double team blocks were required because the back hit the hole more quickly, the back could choose a different hole than originally planned (due to single blocking across the line), the center was a more effective blocker because his head was up when he snapped the ball, and backs could be less versatile than required of single wing backs.

The Chicago Bears T made great use of "man in motion" effectively making one of the three running backs into a receiver as he left the backfield. Thus, the T, originally designed as a more dynamic running offense, became a far more powerful passing offense than the single wing, greatly enhancing its appeal. The two back backfield naturally evolved into the "pro set" with only two running backs in the backfield and a "flanker" permanently posted out in a wide receiver position. Teams initially used a flanker primarily in the "slot" (on the strong side) because the hashmarks were still quite wide, as in college ball. In 1972, the hash marks were moved to their present position, 70 feet, 9 inches from each sideline. This made the strong side / weak side far less of a factor and allowed the opening up of the passing attack. The pro set further evolved into today's complex offenses.

Virtually all modern offensive formations are variations on the T theme. A notable exception is the Shotgun formation, first used by the San Francisco 49ers in 1959/1960, popularized by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1960s and the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s, and now widely used in pro and college football. The I formation, first popularized in the AFL by the Kansas City Chiefs, circa 1968, is another variation of the T used extensively by high school and, until recently, many college teams. The I is a strong running formation, with the fullback positioned forward with a tailback behind, providing mass at the point of attack. The power I places all three running backs in a line behind the quarterback, making it a very powerful running formation but difficult to pass from. The Chiefs of the late 1960s often sent one of the three backs in motion. The wishbone formation, once dominant in college football but now virtually extinct, was another T variation, with the fullback positioned very close behind the quarterback, flanked by two halfbacks. This was a very strong running formation with the famous triple option where the quarterback could handoff to the fullback, run it himself, or pitch to the trailing halfback. It was run with great success by Darrell Royal's Texas teams, Barry Switzer's Oklahoma teams, Woody Hayes' Ohio State teams, and Paul "Bear" Bryant's teams of the 1970s. This formation required a talented, running quarterback. It fell out of favor because well coached, physical defenses can stop the option and the wishbone is a poor passing formation.