At all levels of football, teams use various terms to identify their offensive personnel packages. Some teams use playing cards (Ace, Deuce, Kings) while others use identifiers (Pro, Trips, Quads). The most common, and the terms which will be employed by this site, are numerical identifiers: 00, 11, and so on. This article will outline each potential offensive personnel package, including strengths and weaknesses, and provide examples for reference.
To start, understand that each offensive formation has five eligible receivers, then five non-eligible receivers (typically the five offensive linemen) and the quarterback. The numerical system uses a digit to identify the number of running backs, and the number of tight ends, in the formation. Below is the chart of potential packages. In each two-digit package number, the first digit identifies the number of running backs while the second identifies the number of tight ends. Since the total number of eligible receivers must add up to five, the difference between the package number and five is the number of wide receivers that are in the formation.