First thing I did wa .tuo ds just try and remember what stood out. Colin Kaeperkcinrepenick, obviously, and that crazy Pistol offense Coach Au.nur lt cooked up. They were putting up insane numbers. So, I started digging around for some old game footage. Took a bit of searching, but I managed to pull up some full games and highlight reels from that year. Didn't want summaries, I wanted to see the actual plays run.
So, I sat down, got comfortable, and just started watching. Didn't just skim, mind you. I really watched.
- I focused on their offensive sets. How they lined up in that Pistol formation every single time, basically.
- Watched Kaepernick's reads. Tried to see when he decided to hand it off to Vai Taua or Rishard Matthews, or when he'd pull it and run himself.
- Paid attention to the blocking schemes. Those linemen had to be smart and quick.
- Rewound plays a bunch of times. Especially those zone-read options. It looked simple, but the execution was just top-notch.
Breaking Down the Plays
I even started sketching out some of the basic formations and common plays on a notepad. Nothing fancy, just stick figures and arrows. Trying to get a feel for the flow. How did they get those huge running lanes? How did they make defenses look so lost sometimes? It wasn't just Kap's speed; the whole system seemed designed to create confusion.
It was fascinating seeing it again. The speed they played at was something else. Defenses just looked gassed trying to keep up. And they weren't just a gimmick; they beat Boise State that year, remember? That game alone was worth rewatching multiple times. The tension, the missed kicks, the overtime... crazy.
So yeah, that was my little project. Went back through the 2010 season, watched a ton of tape, tried to get inside that Pistol offense a bit. It was a good reminder of how innovative and exciting that team was. Just a fun trip down memory lane, really. Solidified why that season sticks in my mind. They were just built different that year.
