Today's Tidbit... Football Experiments In the Motor City

Back when the University of Detroit played football, their coach Chuck Baer wanted a deeper understanding of how his Modern T formation offense threatened the six and seven-man defenses still common in those days. His questions involved the speed in which T formation backs hit the line of scrimmage and whether defensive linemen could read the play and get to the hole the offense targeted.

Chuck Baer went 35-21-1 in six seasons at Detroit, winning the Missouri Valley Conference in 1949. (1948 Detroit yearbook)

Coaches nationwide faced the same challenge because Single Wing, Double Wing, and Notre Dame Box offenses long snapped the ball to backs who waited to receive the snap before moving forward. The Modern T gaining prominence had the QB take the snap and hand off the ball to a running back who had started forward at the snap. By not waiting to get the ball, they hit the hole faster, but Baer wanted to know how quickly they got there and how fast the defense could react.