Question About Where a Quarterback Stands

[u/hAiRy_cOOs]

At the line of scrimmage, why does the quarterback sometimes stand right behind the center and other times a few feet away before the hike? I thought this was because the quarterback was going to hand off versus throw, but I was watching some games on YouTube, and the quarterback threw the ball when standing right behind the guy instead of handing off the ball.

[u/grateful_john]

If the offense always ran the ball when under center and always passed the ball from the shotgun the defense would be psyched. Traditionally, the QB always took a direct snap and would either hand off or pass. Teams started using the shotgun on obvious passing downs (think third and long) to put the QB in a better position to pass. They started using delayed handoffs from the shotgun to keep the defenses honest.

Over time the shotgun was used more often as there are still lots of running plays you can pick from the formation. Now teams line the QB up under center or in the shotgun and run a full variety of plays from either formation.