FOOTBALL IN HIGH HEELS: WHAT’S THE STORY, WISHBONE?
Tonight, we are going back to covering formations as a change of pace from Fantasy Football. I promise, we will get back to the game soon, but for the next few days we are going to focus on the actual game of football.
First up is the wishbone formation. My mind went to three different places: Thanksgiving where it was a great honor to break the wishbone, the salad dressing brand and this gem right here:
I am not even going to lie, this show is what got me into AP English and what helped me understand the classics we read in school. There is just something about a cute Jack Russell Terrier telling you about Romeo and Juliet that makes it easy to understand.
Anyway, back to football. So what IS a wishbone formation?
- This is an offensive formation that has three running backs.
- The fullback is directly behind the quarterback, while two halfbacks line up one yard behind and one yard to either side of the fullback. This makes the shape of a wishbone.
- The wishbone formation can also be run with two tight ends, one tight end and one wide receiver, or two wide receivers. When the offense use the wishbone formation, it is usually as their primary formation, and most run the ball much more often than they pass.
- The most common wishbone play used is the triple option. This is when the quarterback has the option to hand the ball to the fullback, pitch the ball to the halfback, or keep it himself. However, this all depends on what the defense is doing.
TRIVIA!!! Texas assistant coach Emory Bellard invented the wishbone in 1968. It was commonly used in college football. Although the wishbone allowed teams to run successfully, it also made passing difficult, and so it is now rarely used at any level.
Join us next time for more lessons!
