Defending the Read Option QB Offense

[PatsWickedPissah]

After an offseason of searching, NFL coaches may finally know how to defend the read-option - Grantland

RO puts 11 vs 10

Hopefully Patsfans can find sufficient material in this article to argue about & insult each other

 

[TriplecHamp]

Start leveling the QB, keep or give. Teams wont want to run the Read Option when their QB's are missing games because of concussions.

 

[Brady6]

After an offseason of searching, NFL coaches may finally know how to defend the read-option - Grantland

RO puts 11 vs 10

Hopefully Patsfans can find sufficient material in this article to argue about & insult each other

I think we have the best plan; hope for a schedule without any read option QB's :thumb:.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

Keep hitting them the second they become a runner. Keep hitting them when they're a passer. By the end of the game, they'll lose effectiveness. By the end of the season, they'll be on their last legs.

 

[primetime]

Running quarterbacks in the NFL learn to subordinate their rushing ability because the punishment they take from running the ball regularly threatens to make their NFL career very short -- few guys in history have had Steve Grogan's toughness, but that's the kind of wear those guys can expect.

RG3 may never be the same guy he was in his first 10 games because of the beating he took in just his rookie season (though note that his ACL tear came on a passing play). You can ask a guy to run a read-option offense but after a couple years of that his body is going to be worn out... just don't think it's something a guy will be running past his 26th birthday or so. He better be able to turn into a classic athletic QB like an Elway or Young or he'll be on the trash heap quickly.

 

[PatsDog]

After an offseason of searching, NFL coaches may finally know how to defend the read-option - Grantland

RO puts 11 vs 10

Hopefully Patsfans can find sufficient material in this article to argue about & insult each other

PWP. Great article. One of the best I've read on the current status of the Read-Option in the NFL. I agree with the author, this will be a defining year for the R-O in the NFL.

This reality may very well lead these plays to vanish, but there's also plenty of reason to think that, executed correctly, they pose no more risk than a traditional pass play, during which a quarterback — eyes focused downfield, arm extended, unable to protect himself — is a sitting target. A properly restrained quarterback should slide or get out of bounds essentially anytime he pulls the ball on a read-option play, and a major reason why NFL teams like Ault's arc blocking scheme is that it adds a personal protector for the quarterback.

This paragraph above is the key. IMO, RG3 was 'greedy' that game he cut back for an extra 10 yards. He was so much faster than College DB's & LB's and would have broken that cut back for a TD in college. Not in the NFL. So, QB's in the NFL using the R-O will need to be smart like Russell Wilson and take what the Defense gives him and no more. Key word >> "slide".

We'll see what happens as NFL Defenses and Offenses have started another major 'Arms Race'. The last one being the emergence of the West Coast offense with the Niners in the early 80's. The Pats have been one of the 'fortunate few' who have had a the best QB in the game for 12 years in Brady. If you are one of the 'unfortunate many teams', you are asking a Sanchez, Fitzgerald, Russel Wilson, Orton, Romo, Tebow to run an offense as complicated as the Pats offense with amazingly high demands on the QB. Only a select few have the skill and personality to hold up to those demands; IMO Brady & Rogers are the only ones in the game today. Every one else trying to run a traditional/complicated offense will ultimately fail over the long run. BB rocks in his ability to incorporate every once of deceptiveness and creativity into his offenses to keep the Pats ahead of the rest. But, the rest of the teams with a non-Brady/Rodgers QB are left with a real challenge on their hands with likely as many INT's as TD's. Sure Peyton is great; but, how many times can you remember him having to 'press' in pressure cooker playoff games, only to be responsible for his teams loss? Ie. last year throwing across his body resulting in an INT at a horrible time. Teams not blessed with a Brady/Rodgers need to 'move the goal posts', 'change the odds' with something like the R-O giving them a 11 on 10 advantage. But, that QB needs to be up to this R-O challenge in the NFL and most importantly 'restrained' and 'durable'.

IMO, Pats need to ride TB into the sunset as long as possible, he's special. But, I have to believe BB/JM are watching and monitoring this R-O NFL emerging trend. They have to. I suspect they have a hybrid wrinkle in mind; but I really have no idea specifically what that would be. Lot's of conjecture out there, like:

• a Monroe 2 QB set (VIDEO: UL Monroe Played 2 Quarterbacks At The Same Damn Time - SBNation.com) tailored to the NFL.
• R-O for 2 pt conversions after all TD's (a total long shot, but interesting).

Heck, if you can put your TE in a backfield successfully like Hernandez last year, BB/JM can dream up another wrinkle just as crazy and creative.

If any coaching staff can turn this emerging R-O trend on its head with something unique, BB/JM can do it. They may be asking themselves, "how do we continue to 'own' the NFL with our HOF QB Tom Brady while leveraging some of these emerging, potentially advantageous R-O approaches". This is especially interesting with our receiving core in such flux this year. Interesting times.

 

[manxman2601]

PWP. Great article.

• a Monroe 2 QB set (VIDEO: UL Monroe Played 2 Quarterbacks At The Same Damn Time - SBNation.com) tailored to the NFL.
• R-O for 2 pt conversions after all TD's (a total long shot, but interesting).

Heck, if you can put your TE in a backfield successfully like Hernandez last year, BB/JM can dream up another wrinkle just as crazy and creative.

Excellent post and I'm sorry to ignore most of it but that video was just awesome. I know, I know - any passing snaps taken away from Brady is a waste and I agree, but I so want BB to bring this two QB set to the NFL. The talking heads will all keel over and die as their brains implode.

And from the link:

That's a righty and a lefty, each able to pass to his more natural side of the field while moving --

Hmmm.

 

[Potzer]

I think that Ninkovich is the best read option defending DE in the league.

He single-handily shut down both dive, and qb run portion of the zone read playing denver in 2011. Seems to have great instincts for that role.

 

[IllegalContact]

zone blitz.......must make the QB think.....create looks that force the team to throw the ball......

just like anything else.......the QB tendencies will be broken down.....Kapernicks success isn't even based on a full season. Wilson stands to be the best of the bunch simply because he can best resemble a real QB......

the niners success is really based on the fact that they have a damned awesome OL........you could almost implement any kind of offense with that OL and it will look fairly decent.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Dog you highlighted the paragraph that most stood out for me too, "A properly restrained quarterback should slide or get out of bounds essentially anytime he pulls the ball on a read-option play, and a major reason why NFL teams like Ault's arc blocking scheme is that it adds a personal protector for the quarterback."

Fran Tarkenton was not a RO QB but he was a guy who had a decent length career outside of the pocket. He had the smarts to avoid the contact. And back then drilling with the helmet and hitting the QBs helmet was allowed and even celebrated. I mention this as evidence that a properly protected RO QB who has Brady like situational awareness and isn't stupidly macho could survive a career, freak accidents aside.

The biggest advantage in the RO approach as the article describes is that by having one defender unblocked and the QB simply but intelligently run the play away to avoid him gives the offense a player advantage. And we've all seen otherwise very good defenses break down when a QB is unexpectedly far from being hurried for several seconds.

Yes RO can be defended but teams need to spend valuable practice time on the unique and not commonly practiced methods to defend it. It's easy to get confused on D.

 

[PatsDog]

Dog you highlighted the paragraph that most stood out for me too, "A properly restrained quarterback should slide or get out of bounds essentially anytime he pulls the ball on a read-option play, and a major reason why NFL teams like Ault's arc blocking scheme is that it adds a personal protector for the quarterback."

Fran Tarkenton was not a RO QB but he was a guy who had a decent length career outside of the pocket. He had the smarts to avoid the contact. And back then drilling with the helmet and hitting the QBs helmet was allowed and even celebrated. I mention this as evidence that a properly protected RO QB who has Brady like situational awareness and isn't stupidly macho could survive a career, freak accidents aside.

The biggest advantage in the RO approach as the article describes is that by having one defender unblocked and the QB simply but intelligently run the play away to avoid him gives the offense a player advantage. And we've all seen otherwise very good defenses break down when a QB is unexpectedly far from being hurried for several seconds.

Yes RO can be defended but teams need to spend valuable practice time on the unique and not commonly practiced methods to defend it. It's easy to get confused on D.

Well said PWP. Agree with every point you made. Thanks for starting this interesting thread.

 

[Demosthenes]

I think the R-O is going to be much harder to defend than many people think. With the wildcat, all that was needed was a slight adjustment in defensive alignment really.

With R-O, you are talking about massive changes. They talk about having the defensive end not crash down, but instead, come up field to set the edge and then come in. Hello? That goes against the very grain of what most DE's have trained to do, i.e. to get after the QB. It also gives the offense more time overall if the DE does this all game.

I mean, if you are playing the Dallas Cowboys, you'd love it if Ware spent more time setting the edge and less time rushing your QB or closing down on a RB.

Also, the article talks about the safeties a bit but doesn't get into too much depth about the changes forced on them. What happens when you are in the shotgun with a 5 man Oline, with 4 receivers out wide and a RB in the backfield? How is the defense going to align ? Do they set up to stop the pass or to stop the run ? 4 wideouts requires 4 DBs at minimum. That leaves 7 defenders. Do you stack them all in the box to stop the run i.e. 4 DL, 2 LBs and a slightly deeper safety? If the offense is running R/O, one of those DL or an LB is going to go unblocked and will be "read" instead. That gives the offense a +1 advantage.

At the same time, it also means that the 4 WRs are all facing cover 0, 1 on 1 coverage for the most part. A QB who can throw accurately and consistently will eat that defense up over the course of an entire game.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

As more injuries pile up for Read-Option guys and their effectiveness plummets, you can bet most coaches are going to abandon it rather quickly. How long did the Wildcat last again?

ADDITION: It's not just injuries to the QB, either. It'll also be injuries to WRs who suddenly have to become blockers. Injuries to OL guys who have to sustain blocks longer.

In college, it doesn't matter as much because you only have to keep the QB out of the trainer's room for 2-3 seasons and there's only at most a couple hundred thousand dollar commitment. In the NFL, you're talking about 10+ year careers and multimillion dollar contracts. You can bet owners are going to have a say in whether or not read option becomes a thing or not, as well.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Who here would have guessed that Bledsoe would diss mobile QBs?

 

[BennyBledsoe]

Who here would have guessed that Bledsoe would diss mobile QBs?

Hey, hey, HEY! Drew could run... like an ungainly toddler... but he could run!

 

[Demosthenes]

As more injuries pile up for Read-Option guys and their effectiveness plummets, you can bet most coaches are going to abandon it rather quickly. How long did the Wildcat last again?

ADDITION: It's not just injuries to the QB, either. It'll also be injuries to WRs who suddenly have to become blockers. Injuries to OL guys who have to sustain blocks longer.

In college, it doesn't matter as much because you only have to keep the QB out of the trainer's room for 2-3 seasons and there's only at most a couple hundred thousand dollar commitment. In the NFL, you're talking about 10+ year careers and multimillion dollar contracts. You can bet owners are going to have a say in whether or not read option becomes a thing or not, as well.

The Wildcat largely became a non factor because it was easy to scheme against. It's one basic formation with a couple of possible plays, i.e. jet sweep or QB power. Read Option and a full blown Spread Option offense differ by orders of magnitude.

As for your added comments, WRs in the NFL already block on many running plays and the Oline doesn't have to sustain blocks longer. It's just a change in blocking schemes. In reality, the blocking is actually easier in Read Option systems as the Oline work angles much more often.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

Oh my, I didn't realize I had to add this but apparently I do...

'.... when they don't expect to be blocking/holding their blocks longer.' Sorry, thought that was obvious.

 

[Demosthenes]

Oh my, I didn't realize I had to add this but apparently I do...

'.... when they don't expect to be blocking/holding their blocks longer.' Sorry, thought that was obvious.

Who doesn't expect to be blocking/holding their blocks longer ?

 

[patfanken]

I know I'm going back into the way back machine, but in the early 1970's, (so long ago I can't remember the exact year,) Archbishop Williams played Arlington HS on Thanksgiving day. Williams was a small Catholic HS with a good football program, but Arlington was a division 1 suburban league power and Williams had no business playing them period, let alone on Thanksgiving day....on the road. I scouted them the 2 previous weeks, and we were totally physically out matched. They had 3 kids on that team that went to the Big 10 the next season, and 2 more that went to BC.

Not that we were a bad team, IIRC we were 5-3 going into the final game. But we weren't close to being good enough to beat them straight up. Up to this game we ran the Delaware wing T offense along with some I formation. I was a young assistant at the time who worked mostly with the OL and LB's. Our HC decided that if were were going to have even a slight chance we'd have to take a huge risk.

For those of you not from MA, the final game of the HS season traditionally ends on Thanksgiving, which of course is on Thursday, so you get a 10 day preparation period before the last game . In that time we managed to put in a true read option from the Wishbone formation.

The theory of our crazy risk is in the wishbone option, you often DON'T block the DT, and DE. Well these were two of their best players, and we weren't going to be able to block them anyway. So this made a lot of sense.

They play a 3-4 defense (we called it the 5-2 Okie back then) and the basic offense was supposed to work like this. Depending on the line call the C and G either double teamed the NT, and the T blocked the ILB, or the GT double teamed the ILB and the C took on the NT alone. The TE either took and inside or outside step depending on the SOLB's position and attacked the strong safety directly.

The FB ran a path directly to the outside butt cheek of the OG expecting the ball. The QB had 2 reads. First he read the the DT. If he took a step up the field he would give it to the FB. If he stepped "down" reading the OT's block he would keep the ball and option the the DE. The onside HB was a lead blocker and the offside HB (with a 2 step motion) became the option back We literally had only 10 days to put this entirely new offense in, including some counter plays and passes.

While the belly option which was a option play with no read, was fairly common at the time.; The true read option was unknown in eastern MA football that the time. In a game where we shouldn't have been competitive, we managed to rush for close to 400 yds that day against a team that hadn't allowed 200 yds all season. We actually had a small lead at half time. But the combination of a GL fumble and a much better team finally managed to overcome our courageous effort and IIRC we lost by about 8 points.

Over the next few years the Texas Wishbone became fairly common among HS teams as well as the 2 back Houston Veer option and several other variants. So over the next decade almost every team you played was running some kind of option attack, and as the eventual DC at Williams it was my job to find a way to stop it.

So I guess the point of this exercise was to point out that the more you see the read option offense the more defensive players learn to react to it, and the better coaches learn to scheme to defend it. By 2000 very few teams in Eastern MA HS ran the option. In fact only 3 major college teams run the option with any success (Navy, Air Force, and GT) and a lot of their success comes from the fact that their offense is seen so rarely, it's harder for those kids to defend it.

The read option is going to have some success in the NFL, but I predict that that success will be fleeting. QB's won't be able to stand up to the punishment, and defenses will become better at defending it. Much like the 4-6 defense that Buddy Ryan developed, and had wild success culminating in the 85 Bears, but ultimately it had a shelf life of about 3 years before offenses started to catch up and just 3 years after that glorious season of 1985, the Bears were out of the playoffs and remained so for about a decade.

My point is that if you like the read option, enjoy it now, because within 3 seasons it will be nothing more than situational play much like the reverse is now. Something that might be trotted out 2 or 3 times a game to change the pace.

BTW- that was a great article

 

[tonyto3690]

Didn't read the entire thing but some nice stuff in the article.

Boiled down though it comes to two things

-Don't dive at the RB/playaction
-If you get a shot, destroy the QB so they won't do it again.

That's what Belichick did to Tebowtime in the playoffs and they couldn't do anything on offense.