A-11 offense

The most striking characteristic of the A-11 is its use of a formation in which most offensive players except the center are spread out across the line of scrimmage standing upright. In conventional football formations, five or more offensive players are offensive linemen, who set up before each play in a three-point stance and who serve exclusively as blockers. Offensive linemen almost never carry the football and are almost always ineligible to catch a forward pass or even advance beyond the line of scrimmage before a pass is thrown. At most levels of football, (including the National Football League (NFL), college football, and American high school football), offensive linemen must wear jersey numbers from 50 to 79, marking them as ineligible receivers in all but very limited situations.

In the A-11, however, offensive linemen in the traditional sense are not typically employed. Any player with any jersey number may be stationed anywhere across the line of scrimmage, and depending on their position at the snap, any player may serve as an eligible receiver on any given play. This was possible because, when the A-11 offense was introduced in 2007, a loophole existed in the high school rule books that allowed teams in a "scrimmage kick" (i.e., a punt or field goal) formation to be exempted from numbering requirements. Instead of employing five offensive linemen who are obviously ineligible to receive a pass, teams were allowed to station any player wearing any number anywhere on the field, causing confusion for the defense as they try to determine who might go out for a pass. And since there were no restrictions concerning when the "scrimmage kick" exemption could be used, the A-11 offense could be used on every down.[12]

To use the scrimmage kick formation exemption, the player who receives the snap (presumably the kicker or placeholder) must stand at least seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. The A-11 places the quarterback in that position, which becomes a deep shotgun formation. This has the effect of reducing the need for offensive line protection since defensive players have more ground to cover before reaching the passer. The offense also places an additional passing back (similar to the wildcat offense) in the backfield next to the quarterback, creating the potential for either back to receive the snap, pitch to the other back, run or pass the ball, block, or go out for a pass.[12]

The A-11 complies with the rule that caps the number of eligible receivers during any given play at five (maximum six if the quarterback hands the ball off or laterals to an ineligible receiver who then passes the ball). However, because players in the scrimmage kick formation can make themselves an eligible or ineligible receiver by going in motion or by simply stepping on or off the line of scrimmage, the defense does not know which offensive players will be eligible until just before the snap. This has the effect of confusing defensive personnel, as they must quickly figure out which offensive players to cover and adjust their assignments accordingly. The constantly changing offensive roles coupled with the deep position of the quarterback forced most opposing defenses to play a soft zone pass defense against the A-11, making it difficult to play standard run defense or pressure the quarterback.[2]

In the modified version of the A-11 developed after 2009, the center is flanked by ineligible numbered "anchors", basically creating a 3-man offensive line in the center of the formation. Like any ineligible receiver, the anchors can neither receive forward passes nor advance downfield before a forward pass is thrown across the line of scrimmage, but can catch lateral and backward passes, take handoffs, advance downfield prior to a screen pass to an eligible receiver, recover a short punt behind the line of scrimmage, or even throw the ball if it is handed, punted or pitched backwards to them. Two other players spread out along the line of scrimmage must also wear numbers that automatically make them ineligible, resulting in formations similar to the old swinging gate or Emory & Henry formations.[13] In this version of the A-11, the offensive players who cannot legally go out for a pass are clearly identified before the snap by their uniform numbers, making it easier for the opposing team to set their defense accordingly.

The A-11 Football League (A11FL) was a proposed professional spring outdoor football league that was led in part by A-11 creators Kurt Bryan and Steve Humphries and planned on utilizing the A-11 offense exclusively. The A11FL was scheduled to debut in May 2014 with two nationally televised "Showcase Games" and then kick off its first regular season with eight teams in March 2015. However, the exhibition games and the 2015 season were cancelled in April 2014. Soon after, the A11FL announced on its Facebook page that it was abandoning the idea of using the A-11 offense but that some of its founders would try to establish a different spring football league, though no further developments were announced.[22][23][24] In 2019, Bryan was named head coach of the Oakland Panthers indoor football team.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to A-11 offense.

• Tackle-eligible play
• Wildcat offense

Notes