Football Library · Formations
Empty
How it lines up
No-back spread with every eligible receiver distributed across the line.
No running back remains in the backfield. Every eligible is distributed as a receiver—three receivers around an eligible center in 5v5 flag and a five-wide presentation in larger formats—with the quarterback alone in shotgun.
Also called: 5-wide, Five Wide, 00 Personnel
Why coaches use it
- Empty forces coverage and pressure responsibilities into the open, giving the quarterback valuable information before the snap.
- Removing the back stretches the defense horizontally and can uncover favorable receiver matchups or a light quarterback-run box.
Roster and experience fit
Best for a poised, accurate quarterback with a fast release and a group of receivers—including the eligible center in flag—who can separate quickly and understand sight adjustments.
Installation: Easy to align but demanding to execute. It is best for intermediate or experienced groups that can identify pressure and communicate hot answers; youth teams should use only a few fast, fixed reads.
When to use it
- Use it to identify coverage and pressure before the snap by forcing every defender into visible space.
- Call it when the quarterback can distribute the ball quickly and several receivers can win isolated leverage.
- Use it to remove box defenders, create a favorable quarterback-run count, or spread a compressed red-zone defense.
Best plays and schemes
- Speed Out, Stick, spacing, hitches, and Slant-Flat provide immediate answers before pressure arrives.
- Four Verticals and seam combinations stress how the defense divides deep coverage across every eligible.
- Quarterback draw and empty motion punish defenders who vacate the middle in formats where those actions are legal.
What players must understand
- Build a declared hot answer into every call because there is no back available to add to protection.
- Receivers must maintain width and depth; poor spacing lets one defender overlap multiple routes and defeats the purpose of Empty.
Common mistakes
- Calling slow-developing routes without a built-in pressure answer even though no back is available to help protect.
- Letting every receiver settle at similar depth, allowing one zone defender to overlap multiple routes despite the wide formation.
Example plays from Empty
Open a complete diagram to see how the concept uses this formation's alignment.