Football Basics: The I Formation

Ground and Pound

What It Is

The I Formation is looks exactly like what it is called, an I. The basic I formation consists of your front 5 Offensive Linemen, a Tight End aligned next to one of the tackles, and any combination of wide receivers (1 on each side, with one of them off the line of scrimmage is the norm, or you could have two on the same side; this is called "Twins"), a QB under the center, a fullback aligned roughly 3-4 yards directly behind him, and a halfback aligned 2-3 yds behind the fullback. The alignment of the QB, FB, and HB resembles an I, hence the name.

There are also two variants on the I formation, known as the Strong I and Weak I. In Strong, the fullback is aligned directly behind the guard, same depth, on the same side as the tight end. In weak, the fullback is aligned directly behind the guard, same depth, on the opposite side of the tight end.

What it Does

The I formation is a heavy running formation, as the fullback is in a perfect position to be a lead blocker for the much quicker halfback. The formation is heavily compacted (9 players in the immediate vicinity of the ball), which makes it easier for the linemen up front to make their blocks quicker, as well as give the halfback the added security of having a lineman-sized guy right in front of him in the backfield. Plays such as Dive, Iso, Toss, Power, Trap, and Counter are the bread and butter running plays run out of this formation. Since these are all hard-hitting run plays that the defense cannot allow the offense to gain ground on from the immediate snap, many defenses load up the "box" (the area between the two widest linemen on the line of scrimmage, extending 6-7 yards deep into the defensive side of the field) to stop the run quickly.

When the above happens, I Formation-heavy teams like to incorporate "play action", meaning that the runningbacks will pretend they are executing a run play before either staying in to pass protect or go out for pass routes. This tricks the defense (particularly the linebackers) into stepping closer to the line of scrimmage to play the run, instead of dropping back into zone or man coverage to cover the pass. This can create holes (uncovered areas) in the defense's pass coverage that the quarterback can read and throw to.

Plays That are Run

• Dive- A run play, typically right up the middle of the formation (in the gaps to the left or right of the center), in which the halfback receives the handoff without the fullback lead blocking for him. 
• Iso- A run play where a linebacker is deliberately left unblocked by the offensive linemen so the fullback can stop him from filling (stepping into the open gap created by the offensive linemen driving defensive linemen out of the way) properly. Since the linebacker that is filling is usually the one the defense is relying on to make the tackle, the halfback can make it almost all the way up to where the safeties are before being tackled. Iso's are generally run in the same gaps as the dive (gaps between the guard and center). When an Iso play is run in the gaps between the guards and tackles, it is sometimes called Blast.
• Power- A run play generally run off-tackle (the runningback's aim point being the outside butt-cheek of an offensive tackle. One of two things can happen with the blockers:
• A guard pulls (leaves his spot, runs parallel to the line and blocks somebody in the direction he's going) and blocks somebody where the ball is being run, AND the fullback replaces the pulling guard and assumes his blocking responsibility on that side of the line.
• The fullback leads through the hole created by the offensive linemen and blocks the first defensive threat to show, AND the halfback is responsible for cutting (changing direction suddenly) in response to the fullback's block and where it is going.
• Trap- A run play where the offensive line deliberately leaves a defensive lineman untouched in the hopes he comes upfield (across the line of scrimmage from his initial alignment), where a pulling lineman (usually a guard) can catch him by surprise and knock him out of the area at the last second. Trap plays, if run correctly, are usually the most violent plays you can run out of the I.
• Toss- A run play that attacks the outside edges of the line of scrimmage. The quarterback takes the snap, rotates 180 in a semi-circle to the direction of the play, and tosses the ball to the halfback, where he catches it on the run and tries to get outside the defense. One of three things can happen, similar to Power:
• The guard on the same side of the line the play is going towards pulls out and lead blocks, and the fullback fills the hole created by the pulling guard.
• The fullback runs out in front of the halfback and lead blocks the same way a guard would do if he were pulling.
• The guard pulls play-side and lead blocks AND the fullback lead blocks as well. The gap created by the pulling guard is ignored or taken over by the offensive linemen in the hopes that the halfback can find some room out on the edge.
• Counter- A run play where the runningback fakes to be receiving the handoff with the intention of running in one direction, then suddenly cuts back and runs in the opposite direction. Counter plays are often accompanied by a pulling offensive tackle. The reason this is so is because most linebackers are taught to read (determine where the play is going based on how an offensive player moves) the guards. Middle linebackers usually cannot or do not read the tackles, so this play is kinda sneaky. When the tackle pulls, usually the rest of the line has to block to the direction the pulling tackle is coming from to make up for the imbalance the offense has intentionally created. The offense is hoping that the defense reads the flow (the feeling created that a play is going in a certain direction based off the movement of the linemen) instead of their reads. When this occurs, the linebackers move in the wrong direction, and next thing they know, the ball is being run away from where they moved to, along with a big tackle lead blocking any defensive back unfortunate enough to be left in the resulting open space.

Who Runs it

• Some NFL Teams
• Green Bay Packers are a great example- fullback John Kuhn has developed a cult following among the fans at Lambeau who cheer his name any time he gets the ball.
• The fullback position has otherwise been all but scrapped, and many teams, if they do decide to go into the I formation, will simply bring a second string tight end in instead of an actual fullback due to the similarities in traits required from Tight Ends and Fullbacks (big, strong, linemen-sized guys who can handle a ball with relatively quicker speed).
• Youth Teams
• The I formation playbook is a very simple one, with easy-to-understand rules and a simple hole-numbering (attributing a number to the various gaps that exist between and outside linemen) and back-numbering (attributing a number that is unique to an eligible ball-carrier or receiver to signify that they will be getting the ball) system.
• High School/College Teams with size
• Same reasons as youth, but with the added detail that the head coach of a High School/College team believes his linemen are strong enough to block defensive players one on one.
• Wing-T Dropouts
• This one's kind of a joke, shrouded in truth. The Wing-T playbook is probably one of the easiest playbooks to learn and run as a coach, and relies heavily on misdirection and multiple backs and linemen going in different directions. Coaches who are not able or willing to coach every little rule and detail of blocking in this system generally do not see much success, and would much rather just have their kids win the season in the weight room and run plays where they just out-muscle everybody... but that's just my opinion :)

Hope you learned a little!

Cheers

JG