The Jacksonville Jaguars have been running the Pistol formation – with the quarterback in the shotgun and the running back two yards behind him – during their recent organized team activities. “It’s a really versatile thing,” C Mike Brewster said. “It’s easy to run play action and pass stuff out of it because if you need to slide the line (for protection), the running back can easily cut the edge off as opposed to having to cross the linebacker.”

Footballguys View: The pistol formation can be integrated even with pocket quarterbacks. Unlike the shotgun, where the running back is lined up to the side of the quarterback, the pistol has the back directly behind. This does not tip off the defense as to where the run is going. In a shotgun formation the running play usually goes to the opposite side of where the back is lined up. It’s wise for every team to use some pistol formation in today’s NFL.
Jaguars | Running Pistol formation