In order to have an effective offense in football you must stick to the basics and use complicated or trick plays only when you are desperate. The success rate for trick plays is poor even though the outcome might decide the outcome of the game.

The basic plays of the offense are the run, the pass, and the screen. There are different ways to run the ball. The most basic play is called the 'dive'. This running play is when the halfback or fullback takes a hand-off from the quarterback and dives through a designated 'hole' in the line where the offensive line blocks the defensive players out. The offensive tackle and tight end blocks the down lineman and the guards or center try to block the linebackers and the nose tackle. There are subtle variations on this theme but basically the back gets the ball and follows his blocking through the line.

A passing play is when the offensive linemen form a protective screen around the quarterback while he drops back and attempt to pass the football to a receiver. The quarterback scrambles behind his line and aims a throw to the tight end or wide receiver as they race down the field trying to outrun or outmaneuver the defensive backs. The offensive line tries to protect the quarterback from being tackled by the defensive line. They all must work as one and timing is essential.

The screen play is when the offense tries to trick the defense into thinking it's a pass play. The defense is baited into charging after the quarterback aggressively. When the defense overruns the offensive line the runningback sneaks behind the defense and the quarterback 'dumps' the ball to him. If done right this is a very effective play when used against a hard charging defense.

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