No fun under the gun

The Bucs' shotgun formation has special challenges for the center, starting with the snap.

By Joanne Korth
Published August 3, 2007

Bucs center Nick Mihlhauser looks over the defense before snapping the ball on a shotgun play.
	[Times photo | Joseph Garnett]

LAKE BUENA VISTA - In the minutes before the Bucs' first preseason practice, the centers and quarterbacks warmed up with a few quick snap exchanges. When the quarterbacks took several steps backward, it signaled the arrival of the offensive formation that has everyone at camp buzzing.

The shotgun.

A new addition to coach Jon Gruden's voluminous playbook, the shotgun should benefit just about everyone on offense. The quarterback will have more time to scan the field. Linemen and running backs will be better able to pass protect. Receivers will gain the element of surprise with corners unable to read the quarterback's drop.

Then there's the center.

He gets to stand over the ball, look through his legs at an upside-down quarterback 5 yards away, pick his head back up and snap the ball directly into the quarterback's hands the split-second before a 300-pound defensive tackle tries to plow him over.

No big deal.

"It's probably tougher on them than anybody," quarterback Chris Simms said. "I can't imagine sitting there for 10 seconds looking through your legs and having to look up and see Derrick Brooks smash into your head. But they've been really good so far. We've had no problems."

Centers John Wade and Matt Lehr have experience in the shotgun - Wade several seasons ago in Jacksonville and Lehr the past two in Atlanta - while everything about the position is new to converted guard Dan Buenning.

"It's a challenge," offensive line coach Bill Muir said. "These guys are competitors and they like challenges."

First, there's delivering the ball, which is a matter of location and velocity. The quarterback counts on the ball being in a certain place every time.

Not too high, not too low. Not too soft, not too hard.

Goldilocks wasn't this picky.

"Sometimes the worst thing you can do is try to put the ball back there too hard," Muir said. "At the same time, you can't just float it. So there's a medium. It's just like a golf swing or a baseball swing; you get in a groove. And when you get out of the groove you have to go to the batting cage."

The key: don't think.

"I've been doing it awhile, so I try not to overthink it," said Wade, the Bucs' starter the past four seasons. "I haven't done it in some years, but I did it in Jacksonville and all through college at Marshall. Obviously, the snap is first, it's the most important thing. But if we do enough of it, hopefully it will become second nature."

It's common for quarterbacks to give the centers feedback after snaps, but so far everything has been constructive. And keep in mind, the targets are different for Jeff Garcia and Bruce Gradkowski, both of whom are 6 feet 1, than for 6-foot-3 Luke McCown or 6-foot-4 Simms.

"I think I've sailed a couple over Jeff," Buenning said. "I can't get it over Luke's or Chris' heads. If they start giving us grades, we're going to start fighting."

Once the snap is away, there's the small matter of blocking the correct defender. Many times, when the center's head is down looking for the signal, those sneaky defensive players move.

"He's in a position where he's lifting his head and people aren't in the position they were in before," Muir said. "The adjacent linemen have to communicate to them when some change is going on. Obviously, that's what takes time."

There is strong sentiment that the first time a snap sails over the quarterback's head in a game, Gruden will holster the shotgun. But Lehr, part of the NFL's top rushing team in Atlanta, knows how effective the formation can be.

He's amazed at all the fuss.

"I know everybody's excited, but to make a big deal of it, it's really just a joke," Lehr said. "I'll play whatever. If you want me in a four-point stance, a two-point, a three-point, one leg, karate kick, it doesn't matter. It's football."

Joanne Korth can be reached at korth@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8810.

[Last modified August 2, 2007, 23:55:39]