Singleback Formation

How to Spot It

Singleback starts with the quarterback under center. That means he stands right behind the center and takes the ball straight from his hands. In a cover0 diagram his red O sits almost touching the line. One running back stands straight behind him, about seven yards deep, and nobody else is in the backfield.

Count the backs to tell it apart from its neighbors. One O behind the quarterback means Singleback. Two O's stacked behind him make it I-Form. If the quarterback stands four or five yards back instead, you are looking at Pistol or Shotgun.

With only one back, the other players line up on or near the line. Often that means one or two tight ends, the big players who line up beside a tackle to block or catch, plus two or three wide receivers. Two tight ends tilt it toward the run. Three receivers tilt it toward the pass.

When Teams Use It

Singleback is the balanced choice for early downs. From the same look a team can hand the ball off or fake the handoff and throw, which is called play-action. Because the quarterback starts under center, his fake looks just like a real run, and linebackers have to step up to respect it.

It shows up most on first and second down with medium yardage to go. In the plays cover0 draws from, Singleback was the second most common formation in every season, at about a quarter of all plays from 2016 through 2022.

History

The one-back offense grew up in San Diego. Don Coryell's Chargers of the late 1970s and early 1980s are widely credited with building it, using a lone runner so more receivers and pass-catching tight ends could go out on routes. Joe Gibbs was Coryell's offensive coordinator there starting in 1979.

Washington hired Gibbs as head coach in 1981, and he made one back his base offense, often with John Riggins as the lone runner. Gibbs is also credited with creating the H-back, a hybrid of tight end and fullback who lines up on the line or just behind it and often moves before the snap. His teams won Super Bowls after the 1982, 1987 and 1991 seasons.

Since then the fullback, a blocking back who leads the runner, has faded from most offenses. Many teams fill that spot with a third receiver instead, and Singleback has become an everyday look.

Coaches Known for It

Don Coryell. His San Diego Chargers offense of the late 1970s and early 1980s is credited with creating the one-back offense. It freed receivers and tight ends to attack defenses through the air.

Joe Gibbs. In his first run as Washington's head coach, from 1981 to 1992, he made one back his base offense and is credited with creating the H-back role. His teams won Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI.

Sean McVay. His 2018 Los Angeles Rams used one back, one tight end and three receivers on about 90 percent of snaps, more than any other team. They also ran play-action on a bigger share of their passes than any other team, with Jared Goff faking handoffs from the same look.

How Often It's Used

Share of the plays cover0 could label each season.

Charted by NFL Next Gen Stats through 2022 and by FTN Data from 2023, so part of any jump between 2022 and 2023 comes from the change of source.

Sources

• ESPN: Innovator Don Coryell misses out on Hall of Fame (opens in a new tab)
• Washington Commanders: Flashback, Don Warren and the H-back (opens in a new tab)
• Washington Commanders: Gibbs' mentor Coryell honored (opens in a new tab)
• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Joe Gibbs (opens in a new tab)
• The Ringer: Jared Goff and the Rams' play-action (2019) (opens in a new tab)
• Boston Globe: How the Rams keep defenses off balance (opens in a new tab)

Written for cover0. Usage numbers come from the play data credited on the About page.