Definition of High-Tempo Offense

What does the term "high-tempo offense" mean in the world of football? What is the definition of the term "high-tempo offense"?

In football, a "high-tempo offense" is one that will look to maximize their total number of offensive plays executed over the course of a game.

Teams do this by cutting down the number of time that they spend in a huddle, or ditching the huddle altogether.

By minimizing the amount of time spent between plays, "high-tempo offenses" look to tire out the defense - especially the defensive line, which will tire out if they aren't given a great deal of time to rest between plays.

In order to effectively execute a "high-tempo offense", however, the offensive team needs to be in good shape, or else they will tire out as well.

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A good example of a "high-tempo offense" is a team that is looking to hurry to score near the end of a game.

For instance, if a team is down 14 points with 4 minutes left in the game, they will seek to employ a "high-tempo offense", as they need to score points, and fast.

In order to do this, the offensive team will usually employ a no-huddle offense, with the quarterback calling out plays at the line of scrimmage.