What it is

The pistol is a hybrid between shotgun and under center. The quarterback stands about three or four yards behind the center, much closer than in a regular shotgun, and one running back stands directly behind him.

In a game

The quarterback sees the field almost as clearly as in shotgun, but the running back is lined up behind him, so the offense can run downhill like it does from an under-center set. It is a good fit for option plays and the zone read.

More detail

The formation grew out of college football in the 2000s and spread to the pros later. Its main strength is the way it hides the running back’s path: the defense cannot tell until the last moment whether the back will go left or right, or whether the quarterback keeps the ball himself.

Animated diagram

1. The quarterback stands about three or four yards behind the center, much closer than in shotgun.
2. The running back lines up directly behind him, so the defense cannot see which way he will go.
3. After the snap the back can run in either direction, and the quarterback sees the whole field.