The A-11 Offense

[Chip R]

Looks like a pretty tough offense to defend.

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=825031

[Highlifeman21]

2 QBs, everyone's eligible?

Almost reminds me of the oop-de-opp from Varsity Blues

[KronoRed]

Looks a lot like the spread, strech the D out and go for a weak spot.

[improbus]

Looks like you QB's takes an awful lot of hard shots (just like in the spread option). But, I do love innovation.

[Kingspoint]

Saw that yesterday. That was pretty cool.

[RedsBaron]

I like it!

[IslandRed]

I'm curious as to how they get around the jersey-number rules. Maybe it's different in various high-school organizations, but if I remember right in college and above, the five ineligible receivers have to wear numbers between 50 and 79, and any eligible receiver wearing such a number has to report to the referee, the whole point being to keep the defense from having to guess at who the eligible receivers are.

[Danny Serafini]

All 11 players wear eligible numbers. You can put a player with an eligible number at an ineligible position, though it can make things a pain for the officials.

[IslandRed]

All 11 players wear eligible numbers. You can put a player with an eligible number at an ineligible position, though it can make things a pain for the officials.

In the NFL, you can't. I don't think you can in college, either.

Unless...

I went and read the actual site dedicated to the A-11 and saw the loophole. The QB(s) take the snap 7 or more yards behind the line of scrimmage; that invokes a separate set of rules involving a scrimmage-kick formation, and apparently, the linemen-number rules don't apply then. In essence, they're running a fake punt every play, so far as the rules are concerned.

The rules requiring seven men on the line and the covered linemen are ineligible still apply, but it's easier to fake out the defense if they have to read the formation and figure out who the receivers are.