In the latest issue of ESPN the Magazine, David Fleming discusses why the shotgun has become so prevalent in the NFL.
For starters, the shift is proof of the influence of college football’s spread offenses. The NFL is always reluctant to give credit to its minor league affiliate (the NCAA), but you can spot a trend in the NFL when someone puts money behind it. Drew Brees, who set a league record last season with a 70.6% completion rate, actually fell to the second round of the 2001 draft because he had a reputation as a “shotgun QB” at Purdue. Cut to last April: The Rams took Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford No. 1 overall and handed him $50 million guaranteed, even though he threw just one pass from under center last season. Teams are not passing more frequently — attempts have fluctuated over the past four seasons — but they are throwing differently. From 2006 to 2009, the use of shotgun passes jumped an astronomical 24 percentage points.
That’s an interesting bit about Brees versus Bradford. Just nine years ago, Brees’ stock took a hit because he was known as a shotgun QB. This summer, the Rams took Bradford #1 even though he was exclusively a shotgun QB.
