Read Option: Days are numbered?

[Jikkle]

The read option isn't going to take over offenses since only a few QBs can make maximum use of it but it's not going anywhere either.

The misconception is if a defense doesn't allow the QB to do what Kaepernick did to Green Bay that they stopped the Read Option which isn't the case. They minimized it's impact but they didn't stop it's impact.

On a typical inside run play the QB hands the ball off and does nothing. On the flip side the outside guy on defense reads that the run is inside and crashes down the line to assist the play.

With the RO the outside guy on defense must account for the QB and force him to option the play inside. So he cannot crash down the line like he normally would which means the QB that's normally useless on an inside run effectively becomes useful as a blocker and if the guy does crash the line the QB takes off for an even bigger gain.

Which means the RO plays if done correctly are a win win play for the offense because even if it's optioned to the inside the offensive line gains an advantage since the QB is helping them block in a way.

So even if you're prepared and schematically sound on defense the play still winds up being a positive for the offense.

This is what happened to Atlanta when they played the 49ers in the playoffs. They did an excellent job of making sure Kaepernick didn't beat them with his legs but the RO plays were still effective but just from the inside not from the outside.

And unlike the Wildcat with the RO you're not downgrading your passing attack or limiting your offense. The RO can come from nearly any formation so a defense can't just key on the RO and ignore other areas like you could with the Wildcat.

The only way you stop the RO is you force the option inside and the defensive line has to win the battle physically against the offensive line.

So teams aren't going to live or die by it but it's here to stay and it's going to remain an effective aspect to offenses that have QBs that can run it.

 

[yossarian]

I didn't say weakest, I said worst. RG3 is far and away a better passer than both, and his edge in arm strength doesn't cancel out Wilson's in accuracy IMO.

We'll see about that, I think Wilson is a little more accurate, but not enough to matter, and Kaep's arm strength may allow him to make throws on the run that the other two can't make, which makes the Read Option more dangerous.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

Although the read option is not anywhere near as gimmicky as the wildcat, the wildcat is the closest thing to the read option that we've seen get really popular in the NFL. The wildcat lasted something like a year and a half before defenses figured it out. I'm not saying that's going to happen to the read option since it is much more versatile than the wildcat, but I am expecting defenses to be more effective at containing it.

 

[Wolverine830872]

First off, the reason why the wildcat only worked for a short period of time is that the defense is tipped off before the snap. Holy cow that isn't the QB under center?? What could they possibly be trying? The read option has hidden strength and is tough to discover until its usually too late. The Read option is definitely here to stay because the only way to really keep offenses honest would be to get some good pops on the QB and with all the safety rules currently in place, defenses are hamstrung.

 

[Wolverine830872]

Secondly, I would have to come to the conclusion that Wilson is the better passer than both RG3 and Kaep. Wilson's accuracy last year was downright scary. RG3 benefited from blown coverage down field because of his run speed and was able to play fliers up with a lone teammate. I would say Kaep showed some flashes last year but he also made some bone headed decisions that tend to get him into trouble.

If the read option is actually going to be less effective next year, RG3 is going to have a very rough go of it next year. Kaep would suffer a decent amount as well because he tends to not always make the right decisions: If defenses defend the R.O. better, then Kaep will have an even harder time trying to make the right move. Wilson on the other hand is more of a pure passer than his counterparts and somehow seems to have very good field awareness. Plus, the Seahawks will add a new wrinkle to their read option with Harvin in the slot which no team has yet been able to see any film on.

 

[Warpath]

The difference is that all three quarterbacks mentioned are fantastic passers, that will keep defenses off balance

Correct answer.

And if teams start loading up to stop it, it just opens up a lot more that an offense can exploit.

To me, these defensive coordinators need to prove it. The offense isn't going anywhere as long as it's effective. And right now, it's very effective.

 

[yossarian]

Secondly, I would have to come to the conclusion that Wilson is the better passer than both RG3 and Kaep. Wilson's accuracy last year was downright scary. RG3 benefited from blown coverage down field because of his run speed and was able to play fliers up with a lone teammate. I would say Kaep showed some flashes last year but he also made some bone headed decisions that tend to get him into trouble.

If the read option is actually going to be less effective next year, RG3 is going to have a very rough go of it next year. Kaep would suffer a decent amount as well because he tends to not always make the right decisions: If defenses defend the R.O. better, then Kaep will have an even harder time trying to make the right move. Wilson on the other hand is more of a pure passer than his counterparts and somehow seems to have very good field awareness. Plus, the Seahawks will add a new wrinkle to their read option with Harvin in the slot which no team has yet been able to see any film on.

That's not true at all, the Rams game was an aberration. Here's a quote in this article from Jonathon Goodwin, the 49ers center. He said in the Atlanta game Kaep audibled 40% of the time and had the 49ers in the right position just about EVERY time.

Kaepernick validates Harbaugh's risk with trip to Super Bowl - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy


Again, the misperceptions of Kaepernick are hilarious, the dude is extremely smart, and studies the film, to go along with his canon arm.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

Secondly, I would have to come to the conclusion that Wilson is the better passer than both RG3 and Kaep. Wilson's accuracy last year was downright scary. RG3 benefited from blown coverage down field because of his run speed and was able to play fliers up with a lone teammate. I would say Kaep showed some flashes last year but he also made some bone headed decisions that tend to get him into trouble.

If the read option is actually going to be less effective next year, RG3 is going to have a very rough go of it next year. Kaep would suffer a decent amount as well because he tends to not always make the right decisions: If defenses defend the R.O. better, then Kaep will have an even harder time trying to make the right move. Wilson on the other hand is more of a pure passer than his counterparts and somehow seems to have very good field awareness. Plus, the Seahawks will add a new wrinkle to their read option with Harvin in the slot which no team has yet been able to see any film on.

I think all three guys will be fine. RG3 will probably have some issues just because of his injury, but even if they cut down on the read option plays he's proven to be a great pocket passer. He definitely throws the "prettiest" ball of the three.

I'm really not completely sold on Kaep yet, too few games under his belt. He probably has the strong arm of the three though and I feel like he'll be fine.

Wilson definitely thrived after Pete opened up the playbook and had some great games before they really started running the read option. The most impressive thing about him has been his decision making. As long as he keeps that up he'll be fine.

 

[Wolverine830872]

That's not true at all, the Rams game was an aberration. Here's a quote in this article from Jonathon Goodwin, the 49ers center. He said in the Atlanta game Kaep audibled 40% of the time and had the 49ers in the right position just about EVERY time.

Kaepernick validates Harbaugh's risk with trip to Super Bowl - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy


Again, the misperceptions of Kaepernick are hilarious, the dude is extremely smart, and studies the film, to go along with his canon arm.

That comes down to good coaching in my opinion. You look over game film and when you see the defense lined up a certain way, then you audible to a certain play. I would credit a great coaching staff more for that. You do make a good point though that Kaep was able to properly read those defensive formations when he saw them to be able to make the proper adjustments. My point however was more towards split second decisions that have to be made during the play itself: Do I run or pass? If I pass, where am I going with it. From the games that I saw of Kaep, this was his biggest weakness (but lets face it, the guy doesn't have many).

 

[Wolverine830872]

I think all three guys will be fine. RG3 will probably have some issues just because of his injury, but even if they cut down on the read option plays he's proven to be a great pocket passer. He definitely throws the "prettiest" ball of the three.

I'm really not completely sold on Kaep yet, too few games under his belt. He probably has the strong arm of the three though and I feel like he'll be fine.

Wilson definitely thrived after Pete opened up the playbook and had some great games before they really started running the read option. The most impressive thing about him has been his decision making. As long as he keeps that up he'll be fine.

I haven't seen much game film from RG3 over the season, but from what I did see, he threw a ton of deep balls to single coverage or blown coverage receivers. I don't remember seeing him making hardly any underneath plays (not to say that he didn't or incapable of doing so).

 

[Warpath]

I think all three guys will be fine. RG3 will probably have some issues just because of his injury, but even if they cut down on the read option plays he's proven to be a great pocket passer. He definitely throws the "prettiest" ball of the three.

The read option protects RG3 more than it hurts him anyway. It neutralizes the league's best pass rushers and keeps RG3 cleaner in the pocket than he would be otherwise.

It's when he scrambles off schedule that causes problems. He was injured twice last year. Both on standard pass plays that broke down. 1st was a concussion against the Bengals where he scrambled and then more famously the Ngata hit vs. the Ravens, which was also a pass play that he had to scramble on.

The read option stuff, he actually stays pretty clean on. Because the plays are designed with blockers in front of him, and he keeps the ball or hands it off based on how the defensive end reacts.

The read option being dangerous to RG3's health is a fantasy. What he needs to do is learn how to slide, run out of bounds or throw the ball away rather than get himself killed on scrambles.

 

[Warpath]

I haven't seen much game film from RG3 over the season, but from what I did see, he threw a ton of deep balls to single coverage or blown coverage receivers. I don't remember seeing him making hardly any underneath plays (not to say that he didn't or incapable of doing so).

A lot of the offense was shallow, 70% of his completions were probably slants, crossing routes and short posts. Typical west coast offense no different from what Shanahan has always done. It's true that he led the league in passing TDs over 40 yards but he was also up there in completion percentage. Don't complete that ratio of passes by throwing bombs all the time.

 

[Wolverine830872]

Robert Griffin III Stats, Splits - Washington Redskins - ESPN

I just looked up RG3's splits from last year. Seems as though he through very few deep balls. I guess I'll eat my crow. I still think he benefited from a lot of open receivers though by the virtue of his threat to run

 

[yossarian]

That comes down to good coaching in my opinion. You look over game film and when you see the defense lined up a certain way, then you audible to a certain play. I would credit a great coaching staff more for that. You do make a good point though that Kaep was able to properly read those defensive formations when he saw them to be able to make the proper adjustments. My point however was more towards split second decisions that have to be made during the play itself: Do I run or pass? If I pass, where am I going with it. From the games that I saw of Kaep, this was his biggest weakness (but lets face it, the guy doesn't have many).

I'd agree that Roman and Harbaugh get some credit for educating Kaepernick on how to audible, as for the split second decisions, I didn't see that weakness so much in the games I saw of him, but even if it were true, I would say that when kaepernick has 1/2 of a season, and when he started he had a different situation than Wilson --- Harbaugh did not keep him on a tight leash at all (unlike the first half of the season where Carroll had a tight reign over Wilson) --- and keep in mind this is not a knock on Wilson or Carroll at all, I'm just saying Kaep was thrust into the starting role in the middle of the season and there was no way they could just slowly let him adjust, he had to master the complex playbook immediately (and Harbaugh/Roman's playbook with all the different formations is very complicated), I would expect a few hiccups along the way -- it doesn't mean he is a poor decision maker, it just means he was a rookie.

 

[Wolverine830872]

I'd agree that Roman and Harbaugh get some credit for educating Kaepernick on how to audible, as for the split second decisions, I didn't see that weakness so much in the games I saw of him, but even if it were true, I would say that when kaepernick has 1/2 of a season, and when he started he had a different situation than Wilson --- Harbaugh did not keep him on a tight leash at all (unlike the first half of the season where Carroll had a tight reign over Wilson) --- and keep in mind this is not a knock on Wilson or Carroll at all, I'm just saying Kaep was thrust into the starting role in the middle of the season and there was no way they could just slowly let him adjust, he had to master the complex playbook immediately (and Harbaugh/Roman's playbook with all the different formations is very complicated), I would expect a few hiccups along the way -- it doesn't mean he is a poor decision maker, it just means he was a rookie.

That's a good point, makes me excited to see how things play out this season

 

[yossarian]

That's a good point, makes me excited to see how things play out this season

Me too, it is rare that two such exciting quarterbacks come into the same division at the same time. Who would have thought at this time last year that Sam Bradford would be the third best quarterback in the division?

 

[gowazzu02]

I agree that the zone read will never be a focal point of the offense. I think Seattle ran it a small percentage last year.

And even if D's focus on it, like balt did in the superbowl always running one guy at kap. That in of itself is still a win for the play. Take that weakside backer out of the play. Makes tackling a Gore or Beast mode that much harder..

And the other side of things is when your having to focus on tackling beast mode all day. Theres going to be a time where the focus isn't 100% and RW will keep it and fly out the backside.

 

[CakesW]

I think that depends on what you mean by "running quarterback". I think there's a tendency among a lot of folks to lump the quarterbacks who are capable of being excellent pocket passers, but who are also elusive enough to run when they have to or when they see a big opening, like Wilson, with quarterbacks whose running ability is their primary identity and primary weapon as a quarterback, like Michael Vick or Tim Tebow. Vick has a much better arm than Tebow does, but he's still known more for his running than for his passing. In other words, there are "running QB's" and "QB's that can run". I like to think that Wilson is in the "QB's that can run" category and, if the read option were to disappear from the play book altogether, he'd still make for an excellent quarterback.

At this point, I think that point is moot. The fact remains, that however they are getting their carries, either via the Read/Option, Pistol, or just plain scrambling... it's too many...

7-8 Carries a game for a QB is far too many.. no matter how they are getting them. Even with the ability to slide, that is far too much risk to be placed on these guys, especially when they get into their second contracts, and believe me... RGIII, Kaep, Wilson and Newton are all going to command a MINT when it's all said and done... which means, dollars wise, they are going to be surround by much less talent to protect them.

 

[yossarian]

At this point, I think that point is moot. The fact remains, that however they are getting their carries, either via the Read/Option, Pistol, or just plain scrambling... it's too many...

7-8 Carries a game for a QB is far too many.. no matter how they are getting them. Even with the ability to slide, that is far too much risk to be placed on these guys, especially when they get into their second contracts, and believe me... RGIII, Kaep, Wilson and Newton are all going to command a MINT when it's all said and done... which means, dollars wise, they are going to be surround by much less talent to protect them.

That's always an issue, here's the good thing for the Seahawks and 49ers (I don't know about the Redskins), is that the Seahawks have a fairly young team and the 49ers have such a plethora of draft picks this last year and next year that they can probably manage their cap pretty well. In particular, Baalke in having some big number of picks this year was able to draft potential replacements for Gore and Justin Smith, and next year he has a bunch of picks in the first three rounds (and if the Chiefs do well this year I think they get their 2nd round pick), so he can continue to restock.

 

[SeattleOspreys]

Good Topic Wizard

I can't speak for the rest of the r/o teams, but you aren't going to stop the Hawks r/o cold and
besides, it's just a wrinkle used maybe 5 - 8% of the time. Why D-Co's compare it to the
Wildcat is foolish.

When Ronnie Brown got in the shotgun, you knew he had 1 play and was going to run
with the rock and typically it was to the left, his throwing hand. The guy couldn't throw = shut down.

The major advantage is the THREAT of the scheme.

When RWill gets in the gun, Hawks can 1. run Lynch 3 directions, 2. Pass to 3 or 4
route combinations or 3. Run the read/option. The more a D has to "think" and not just
react, they're a step behind and big plays insue.

From the read/option, RWill has another 3 options with 2 being split second. 1. Hand to
Lynch if the wsde and will backer get flat footed and protect the edge. Lynch blasts
through the Will and Mike, which we've seen frequently.

2. RWill keeps if the wsde collapses to Lynch and runs wide or

3. and my favorite, and play call by Bevell, to fake it to Beast, and drop back to pass.
The D pursuit or lag will open up Zach in the seam, 1 on 1 with Rice to the post or
catch Harvin on a slant or bubble screen the other direction.

With 3 options from the gun and another 3 from the read/option, it's difficult to defend
or know when it's coming and it's a wrinkle, unlike college where it can be a vast majority of the scheme.

Even if a D focuses on it and Lynch gets the ball a couple of times from the option,
it will SET UP a potential splash play which is another advantage. Run Lynch, Run Lynch,
play action from it and ooops, D gets caught and bam, it's a 60 yd TD reception to Harvin.

Go for it, D-Co's, waste your time game planning for 5% of a Hawk wrinkle and we'll toast
you for 24-40 pts with 95% of our base offense.