Unfortunately I joined the team after they competed in Europe…and we missed out by a place on a shot int he playoffs last year which would have given us a chance to qualify (the top 2 teams in the country get to go and represent Great Britain). We have a national team program which is currently on hold, but has produced a very good prospect who has accepted a full scholarship to Boise State and is going out there for spring camps…they say he’s one of the better DE prospects they’ve recruited in a while. We’re slowly getting more teams and developing more players capable of playing Collegiate ball at ;least and have now got a sports academy funded for the development of American Football players.

I devote all my time to this sport now…and love talking and writing about it. I enjoy monitoring tactics, charting plays etc. and trying to understand what teams are trying to achieve in a game.

@Jackson: A lot of people see this being close, I’m not as sure as some. I think the Broncos team as a whole is incredibly over-hyped given their recent run-in of opponents. Of recent they have played the Raiders, Chargers, Vikings, Bears (with Hanie and no Forte playing), the Jets and the Chiefs….offensively these teams are questionable with even Rivers having a down year! I think the Patriots could have a field day if they show up to play on offense.

If the trend of struggling at Mile High continues then I agree this could be a very close affair!

http://www.whatthehellbook.com/the-book/

So 5 years bit mis leading from what you told us ?

When I spoke to you you started playing in 2008 so 3 years ?

I hope this information helps you.

@Syracuse:I actually started losing interest in the last two paragraphs of your comment and, without trying to sound too offensive, if you truly were a coach (or at least a good one) you wouldn’t take such a tone. As a coach myself, I understand that there are numerous techniques and tactics that different coaches employ throughout the sport. There is rarely a sole right way to do something and I am always open to active debate about the correct ways to defend someone or implement a skill.

Now I will tackle the less irrational part of your comment. I understand the concepts of spread option and triple option. What you fail to acknowledge is yes, there is in fact a form of triple option employed int he spread option formation. I ahve analysed Tebow’s starts and you see examples of it; occasionally you see two backs lined up in the backfield and often they have motioned a slot or wide out into the backfield with him. I have watched an awful lot of college football this year and have seen examples of this throughout where spread options implement both the single and double read.

If you aren’t aware of what it is called, it’s generally referred to as an ‘inside zone read’.

So we’ve established that we may see some triple option from Denver this weekend, so we now hit on the point of making my article…which you completely missed. If you set out to defend the triple option from the out-set then you won’t ave any issues with the standard spread option you were speaking of. Not only this, maybe I should have elaborated a little further in the article, I am fully aware that you can run dives, leads, counters etc from an option style offense….this is the sole reason I chose the 43 over because, as well as defending the option particularly well, it’s the best form of gap control defense in my eyes…something which will be key this weekend against a run heavy offense.

Now on the talk of basics. It really is as simple as reading off of the DE. As you pointed out, the QB reads the DE in the spread option…and it’s often the same all over whether it be from the I-Form, the wishbone, the inverted wishbone or whatever you want to go with! Some offense may chose to read the tackle..I’v seen examples…but more often than not your read nowadays comes first from the DE.

You’re thinking too much and over complicating it when it really is as simple as these reads; does the DE squeeze down or stay home (he is unblocked) and then it’s all down to the QB to keep it himself or pitch it. You’re right in the sens I should have outlined that you can run numerous plays from an option offense, but you may have noticed also I did note that this isn’t solely what they run.

Now I fully understand you may disagree with my concepts for defending the option. I know people who would utilise a 34 defense to defend it…and they aren’t necessarily wrong…that;s their opinion on the best way to defend it but this is mine.

I would flat out test my knowledge against yours, as many of my American friends who know me would also.

There are some differences between an option in the I or Wishbone going to the Spread…but the concepts are all the same. I could write another 2000 words on the different blocking concepts and plays you can run…however this article was intended to help people who do not necessarily know the basics…it was a down to basics thing. I don’t want to confuse too many people.

I’m not going to lie, I am a little bit offended that you took the final tone you did…and a tad surprised given the fact you say you’re a coach. I would actually love to talk different concepts with you some time if you wish to…I love nothing more than to chat football.

I will hands down say you are flat out wrong, and I am fully aware of the basics of the option.

If you have any doubts as to where the teams I coach (I coach a University, Youth and Senior team int he UK) get their playbooks from, then look no further than Baylor…who our teams are directly affiliated with and we draw a lot of our stuff from them. I’m no expert, but I know they rank a lot higher than Syracuse…no offense intended toward my friends who have graduated from there!

1) I ran the triple option at Syracuse and I can tell you that what Denver is running is not the triple option. They’re running the spread option with a few variations here and there. They’ve run triple formation but that’s like saying the Patriots run the I formation because they’ve done it before.

2) The triple option seems simple to the average spectator but the triple option is as complex as any other formation. There are a variety of plays for everyone and the qb doesn’t just read the de and ride the fullback. We ran power plays out of it, stretch plays, counters, traps, everything you can imagine.

The QB reads the DE in the spread option.

I’m not sure where you played it but I suspect it was in high school somehwere and it was pretty simple. I ran it in college (in the backfield) and I can tell you that you’re completely wrong about your thoughts about it. I now coach college and don’t run it but I can tell you that most of your article is misleading at best. You need to go back and actually look at the differece between the triple and the spread and get a real play book. Relying on high school or some other lower level system is like saying you can peform open heart surgery because you once put a bandaid on your cut.

No offense but your understanding of the option is very basic and I’m more than willing to challenge you on the subject matter if you think you’ve got a good handle on it. You don’t really have a grasp of the basic differences between option systems.