Keeping track of shotgun usage
November, 18, 2010
11/18/10
4:15
PM ET
By
Mike Reiss | ESPNBoston.com
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When the Patriots lost running back Kevin Faulk for the season with a torn ACL, one possibility mentioned in this space was that the Patriots might limit usage of the shotgun snap.
That was a bad projection.
The shotgun remains a big part of the Patriots' offensive arsenal. Last Sunday in Pittsburgh, for example, the Patriots used it on 22 of 67 plays. So while Tom Brady's usage of play-action produced a few big plays as he dropped back from center -- a 45-yard strike to Brandon Tate and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski -- he was still in the 'gun one-third of the time.
The season breakdown (includes penalties and two-point conversions), which reflects how the Patriots are one of the NFL's heaviest shotgun-usage teams:
Total offensive snaps: 544
Total shotgun snaps: 236
Percentage: 43.3
That was a bad projection.
The shotgun remains a big part of the Patriots' offensive arsenal. Last Sunday in Pittsburgh, for example, the Patriots used it on 22 of 67 plays. So while Tom Brady's usage of play-action produced a few big plays as he dropped back from center -- a 45-yard strike to Brandon Tate and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski -- he was still in the 'gun one-third of the time.
The season breakdown (includes penalties and two-point conversions), which reflects how the Patriots are one of the NFL's heaviest shotgun-usage teams:
Total offensive snaps: 544
Total shotgun snaps: 236
Percentage: 43.3
Mike Reiss
Patriots reporter, ESPNBoston.com- Covered Patriots since 1997
- Blogging on Pats since 2004
- Joined ESPNBoston.com in 2009
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss first started covering the Patriots in 1997 with the team's official newspaper, Patriots Football Weekly, before moving on to the MetroWest Daily News in his hometown of Framingham. From 2005 to 2009, he covered the Patriots for The Boston Globe, while also writing on the NFL. He started his popular Patriots blog in 2004. Send any questions or comments for Mike to his mailbag. Follow him on Twitter here.
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Chris Forsberg has been reporting on the Boston sports scene since 1999. With his video camera in tow, Forsberg covered everything from Massachusetts high school sports to Boston's pro sports teams. Follow him on Twitter.
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