Pro set (American Football Strategy)

In American football, the pro set or split backs formation is a formation that was commonly used as a "base" set by professional and amateur teams. The "pro set" formation featured a backfield that deployed two running backs aligned side-by-side instead of one in front of the other as in traditional I-formation sets. It was an outgrowth of the original, three running back T-formation, with the third back (one of the halfbacks) in the T becoming a permanent flanker, now referred to as a wide receiver.

The base pro set formation with a split end (WR to left of formation), a flanker (WR on right of formation), a quarterback(QB), a fullback (FB), a halfback (HB), a tight end (TE), and five down linemen (OL).

This formation is particularly popular because teams can both run and pass the football out of it with an equal amount of success. This is important because it keeps defenses guessing on what type of play the offense will run. Because the backs are opposite each other, it takes the defense longer to read the gap the offense will run the ball to.

Once the run has been established, it can be a very dangerous formation. Because of the real threat of a team running out of the pro-set, defenses must respect the play fake and play run. This pulls the safety to the line and opens up the middle of the field deep. Also, with both backs in position to "pick up" an outside blitz, the pro-set gives a quarterback an abundance of time to find an open receiver.

A common variant of this formation removes the tight end and replaces it with a third receiver in the "slot" position. The formation is utilized to remove a defensive player from the tackle box to give the offense a 7-on-6 matchup.

There are three formations in the pro set of forms: Pro, Ace, and Tree.

The formation has lost its popularity at the college and professional level recently with the rise of pass-heavy offenses, but is still utilized by teams with a more "run-heavy" philosophy. In addition, it remains common at the high school Junior Varsity and Varsity level.

SPORTS

American Football

Game play in American football consists of a series of downs, individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage – passes, runs, punts, or field goal attempts (from either a place kick or a drop kick) – or free kicks such as kickoffs and fair catch kicks. Substitutions can be made between downs, which allows for a great deal of specialization as coaches choose the players best suited for each particular situation. During a play, each team should have no more than 11 players on the field, and each of them has specific tasks assigned for that specific play.