need to know

[patfanken]

Which Bill O’Brien did Bill Belichick hire?

O'Brien returned to New England this offseason, but was he brought back for a 2011 redux or to push the Patriots into the future?

www.readoptional.com

I belong to a football pool, as I guess a number of people here do. We bet 5 games against the spread and divvy up the loot at the end of the regular season. I'm not much of a gambler. I'm a poker player which I view as entirely different, but that's another conversation. But for a few hundred dollars I get 4 months of my sports betting fix, lots of trash talk and a chance to win some significant money (there are over 180 in the pool) But this is not what this thread is about.

There is an analysis section to the site where we run the pool. And I was looking thru this section and there was an article that talked about what the Pats should look for from the Pats and Bill O'Brien. I clicked on it and it looked familiar and it it was not too long before I realized it was one that had been featured here a few month ago. Of course I read it again and found it even more informative than it was the first 2 times I went through it. So I felt it was worth bringing back. It's full of facts and clips and diagrams, and stuff old coaches drool over, and young football fans can learn from.

I come from the era where the triple option and the Houston Veer offenses were just starting their remarkable rise and fall in importance. Now the RPO is all the rage. And after reading it again I can see some of the Veer concepts floating to the surface. But in this case I want to focus on just ONE aspect that I like alot as far as the RPO goes.

With the traditional play action pass (PAP), the QB has to turn his back to the defense during the fake, and have to refocus after the fact. The so called Fangio 2 high shell defense (an offshoot of the 3-4) has become popular because it allows for multiple disguises of the secondary AFTER the snap. So what the QB sees before he turns his back might not be what he expects to find when he has to refocus. With the RPO, the QB's eyes never leaves the secondary. The fake may not be as good, but the benefits are obvious.

At any rate, before we all watch whatever version of the BOB offense 5.0 and its evolution from 2010 and the Alabama influence, reading this article will help you understanding of it IMMENSELY. What's the saying....."the more you know......" And it will help pass the time until 4pm EST. You can thank me later.

 

[Water Boy]

GREAT article. Thanks for SHARING.