Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I have another question similar to my HB/FB question that you guys helped answer for me.

In 1990 and 1991 the Houston Oilers started four wide receivers (Hill, Jeffires, Givins, Duncan) in all 16 of their regular season games. Does anyone know in their offense what those receivers were technically called? When you have four receivers is there still technically a flanker, split end, or slot receiver in that formation? Or with four receivers are those designations completely different? The best I could find elsewhere are that they're referred to as X, Z, Y, and W receivers.

Thank you! Also, I have got to read up more on those Oilers teams. Running that offense and having that kind of passing-game production in the NFL 30 years ago just seems awesome.

Oszuscik wrote:The best I could find elsewhere are that they're referred to as X, Z, Y, and W receivers.
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I think that is right----I also have seen Mouse Davis stuff that called the "W" the "A" back or receiver.

X and Z are the outside guys, A/W amd Y are the slot guys

If there are 3 receivers to one side then the A/W and Y are the 2 slot guys

Mouse Davis was also the OC for the USFL Houston Gamblers and ran the Run-and-Shoot with Jim Kelly in 1984, with Kelly racking up 5,200 yards and 44 touchdown passes--in an 18-game season. That got him the head job of the Denver Gold in 1985, the last year of the league.

Davis had made his bones in six seasons at Portland State with quarterbacks June Jones and Neil Lomax.

BD Sullivan wrote:Davis had made his bones in six seasons at Portland State with quarterbacks June Jones and Neil Lomax.

And before that, in High School football in Oregon. It moved up to Washington HS football pretty quick. Just before and when I was born the two teams dominating the local HS league I grew up watching were both running the run and shoot. By the time I was watching the league as a kid those school's were still running it (and one still ran it when i played against them years later) but the wing-T had taken over as the dominant offense for the teams that won. Regardless, was fascinating watching HS football at that time in the mid/late 80's, got to see the run and shoot, a couple pure Delaware wing-T's, a wing-T that a school made their own, a twin veer, i-formation, and a pro set offense all in the same 10-team area HS league.

A lot of what now makes up modern and current NFL/college offense started in high school; the spread, the Air Raid to an extent (though much more developed in college) and concepts like the RPO, all came from high school football.

That's why it's always weird to me when football fans say they don't watch or follow high school football, it makes them ignorant (not meant derogatory but by definition) of the sport. Historically, almost everything x's and o's wise started in college football because football started in college but in more modern times, much more likely to trace back and/or get the next/new scheme/idea/offense/play from high school than you are to see it invented in the NFL or college. Even something like the "Wildcat", which obviously wasn't "new" but the labeling of, we had a "wildcat" (from a double-wing offense) in WA HS football before Arkansas was doing it in the SEC or the Dolphins were popularizing it in the NFL.

Also, much more likely to see past scheme's, x's and o's, formations, etc, in high school while NFL/major college football (outside of service academies which are my favorite to watch) are generally homogeneous.

Friday nights are when you see the mix of past, present and future of football in terms of how the sport is played. Can see the single wing and T-formation still in 2019, and still see split backs and the wing-T, and of course the spread as either a passing or running attack. Actual football, instead of take-advantage-of-the-rules offense we see in the NFL and a majority of major college football.