10-01-2015, 03:57 PM
(10-01-2015, 03:31 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: But from the shotgun he has to wait to get the ball or, at most, has a step going forward (usually to the side, though) and doesn't have momentum going with him.
If Dalton's under center, then Hill can start running downhill from the time the ball is snapped, whereas he has to wait for Dalton to turn to hand him the ball if he's in shotgun, or even if he runs in front of Dalton, he's still not going as fast and he's not going downhill.
Also, Hill getting the ball that far back lets the defense decide if he has the ball longer before committing to the run.
Hill has at least a step or two head-start when he lines up behind Dalton with Dalton under center, meaning that (a) he's going faster when he gets the ball and (b) the defense has a lot less time to decide on whether or not to commit.
If every play we ran was a dive into the middle of the line then you might have a point. But when Dalton is under center and we run off tackle or wider Hill has to wait for Dalton to reach him with the ball.
As for giving the defense more time to commit there is absolutely nothing to that. Defensive players have assignments and responsibilities that do not change no matter who gets the ball or where they get it. When the ball is snapped D-linemen don't just stand there waiting to decide where to go or what to do based on what the offense does.
