What Is The Strong Side Of A Football Formation?

Football teams combine size, strength, strategy and athleticism to move the ball on offense. A strong side formation is a strategy employed to develop an offensive signature. When the offense puts one more blocker on one side of the line of scrimmage than it does on the opposite side, the offense is said to be in a strong side formation.

Show of Strength

A standard football formation includes five offensive linemen. Two offensive tackles and two offensive guards join the center to form the offensive line. When both a guard and a tackle are on the left and right sides of the center, the line is said to be in a neutral, or balanced, formation. However, when the tight end lines up next to one of the tackles, that side is the strong side in the formation. Typically, a team lines up strong side right on the first and/or the second down, when it wants to establish its power running game. The majority of the running plays are to the strong side of the formation.

Unbalanced Formation

When a guard or a tackle who normally lines up on one side of the line goes to the opposite side, the team moves into an unbalanced formation. This helps a team establish a power running game, but it also creates a seed of doubt for the opposing team. This is an unusual setup; when the opposing team first sees it, the players question the formation and why the offense is in it. Before the question can be answered, the offense snaps the ball, and the play is underway. The look of the formation can leave the opponent stunned and unable to react quickly enough to stop.

Deception

A strong side formation often signals to the defense that a play will go to that side. However, it also can help the offense to go to the opposite side of the field. When the defense sees the tight end on one side of the field, it may shift one of its safeties to that side to prevent the offense from gaining a numerical advantage. An initial fake to the strong side may draw the middle linebacker and the opposing safety to that side of the field as well; then, the quarterback may throw the ball to the opposite side, also known as the weak side, to deceive the defense and create a big play.

Powerful Tight End

Making a strong side formation work often depends on the presence of a tight end who has the size and strength to block effectively on a consistent basis. A tight end often is called on to block an outside linebacker one-on-one. Outside linebackers are among the most athletic players on the field, and the tight end’s job is to match that athleticism and overpower him with size and strength. A blocking tight end in the National Football League usually stands 6 feet 5 inches to 6 feet 7 inches and weighs 250 to 270 pounds.