Read Option

[Keith Moons Liver]

I don't care for it. We are just tempting disaster. There are some dirty defenders out there who would love nothing more than to get a cheap shot on a star QB and do them serious harm.

[Guild]

This is the beginning of a period of change. Athletes who become professional football players will increasingly allow this sort of offense to become successful in the future.

[Marguide]

The Bucs did a good job of stopping it because they sold out to stop the run, and if we didn't have protection issues, we would've killed them in the air like the Giants did.

You make a point, but I think what killed our read option the most was the fact that our oline just didn't feel like blocking that game.

Our problems at Tampa were often due to protection issues as noted above. Some were failures in individual matchups, but in general, the problem at Tampa is we tried to beat them giving minimum protection to our QB and RB's. Against NO, especially until we got rolling, we were careful to try to get enough blockers both for pass protection and to open up holes for the run.

Chud thought he could beat Tampa sending out 4 guys in pass patterns all day, and it bit him in the ass. He was more prudent against the Saints.

I think the read option is here to stay for us, as Cam is uniquely successful running it. Other QB's with similar skill sets could widen it's use.

[Snake]

I don't care for it. We are just tempting disaster. There are some dirty defenders out there who would love nothing more than to get a cheap shot on a star QB and do them serious harm.

They can do that in the pocket as well. Just ask Payton Manning, the Falcunts were even throwing the refs out of the way to get cheap shots in.

[Peppers90 NC]

i dont necessarily think it is an overall more productive running scheme, however it is more exciting.

[Tarheels23]

I just don't like using it to close out games, because the likely hood of Cam running is low, which allows the defense to key in on the running backs.

[Gallagher]

Our problems at Tampa were often due to protection issues as noted above. Some were failures in individual matchups, but in general, the problem at Tampa is we tried to beat them giving minimum protection to our QB and RB's. Against NO, especially until we got rolling, we were careful to try to get enough blockers both for pass protection and to open up holes for the run.

Chud thought he could beat Tampa sending out 4 guys in pass patterns all day, and it bit him in the ass. He was more prudent against the Saints.

I think the read option is here to stay for us, as Cam is uniquely successful running it. Other QB's with similar skill sets could widen it's use.

This is true, as evidenced by the fact that Louis Murphy didn't catch a pass against NO, and Greg Olsen was awfully quiet. I fear for the team we play once our passing and rushing offenses are hitting on all cylinders.

[lightsout]

Just saw them breakdown the option (the one that Cam busted for a big gain on the Saints) on NFL 32, and they missed one key component. They are treating ALL of the read-option plays as double options between QB and pitch-man. When we fake to Tolbert, it's only a fake because the backside DE comes down on the dive. Whenever we have that pistol set with two RBs back there, and we ride the RB lined up beside Cam, that isn't a definitive fake. If that DE doesn't come down, we hand that dive off. It's a triple-option, which just adds to the confusion, which makes it even more dangerous.

[lightsout]

i dont necessarily think it is an overall more productive running scheme, however it is more exciting.

How is it not? If executed properly, there isn't a more effective PLAY in football, let alone running scheme. That isn't an opinion, it's an observable fact. There is a reason why GT has one of the more potent, if not the most potent, running game in college football. You can say "they run more often" all you want. They still have the yards per carry numbers up above 4 a carry with every ball-carrier. That's effective as hell.

I just don't like using it to close out games, because the likely hood of Cam running is low, which allows the defense to key in on the running backs.

Wouldn't say that necessarily. You don't key in on RBs in that scheme. If the end man on the line of scrimmage commits to the RB, Cam carries. If he doesn't, Cam hands off. I don't follow your train of thought there.

[Tarheels23]

How is it not? If executed properly, there isn't a more effective PLAY in football, let alone running scheme. That isn't an opinion, it's an observable fact. There is a reason why GT has one of the more potent, if not the most potent, running game in college football. You can say "they run more often" all you want. They still have the yards per carry numbers up above 4 a carry with every ball-carrier. That's effective as hell.

Wouldn't say that necessarily. You don't key in on RBs in that scheme. If the end man on the line of scrimmage commits to the RB, Cam carries. If he doesn't, Cam hands off. I don't follow your train of thought there.

When we were closing out the game, Cam handed the ball off to DeAngelo even when the DE committed to the RB. Just like in the preseason game against the Jets, since it was preseason, Cam handed the ball of to the RB, regardless to whether or not the DE committed.

I'd prefer to close out games in a more traditional power formation. The read option is at it's best, when all phases are in play, and if we're closing out the game, the likely hood of us play action passing, or Cam running, becomes low, and that's regardless of whether the DE commits, or the Safety comes down to play the run.

Get what I'm saying?

[lightsout]

When we were closing out the game, Cam handed the ball off to DeAngelo even when the DE committed to the RB. Just like in the preseason game against the Jets, since it was preseason, Cam handed the ball of to the RB, regardless to whether or not the DE committed.

I'd prefer to close out games in a more traditional power formation. The read option is at it's best, when all phases are in place, and if we're closing out the game, the likely hood of us play action passing, or Cam running, becomes low, and that's regardless of whether the DE commits, or the Safety comes down to play the run.

Get what I'm saying?

That's the thing though. How do you know that it was an option play? The back-side DE may or may not be blocked on ANY run play, depending on what run play you're running. The fact that Cam handed it off tells us one of two things: 1) Cam misread it, which doesn't seem likely, given that Cam typically doesn't miss that read, or 2) it was a designed inside-zone type of play.

The ONLY time that the Cam run out of that play becomes low is when the read man stays at home or Cam misreads it (which doesn't happen very often, given his experience running it). Cam running or not running has nothing to do with the point we're at in the game, it comes down to play-calling and Cam's ability to read the option. The only way this makes sense is if Cam is just handing it off every time late because he doesn't want to run the risk of running it and taking that meaningless hit (or he's told to hand it off regardless for the same reason). If THAT is the case, then yes, I agree, it's ignorant to run that play late and we should be running more traditional run plays late in games.

[Tarheels23]

That's the thing though. How do you know that it was an option play? The back-side DE may or may not be blocked on ANY run play, depending on what run play you're running. The fact that Cam handed it off tells us one of two things: 1) Cam misread it, which doesn't seem likely, given that Cam typically doesn't miss that read, or 2) it was a designed inside-zone type of play.

The ONLY time that the Cam run out of that play becomes low is when the read man stays at home or Cam misreads it (which doesn't happen very often, given his experience running it). Cam running or not running has nothing to do with the point we're at in the game, it comes down to play-calling and Cam's ability to read the option. The only way this makes sense is if Cam is just handing it off every time late because he doesn't want to run the risk of running it and taking that hit (or he's told to hand it off regardless for the same reason). If THAT is the case, then yes, I agree, it's ignorant to run that play late and we should be running more traditional run plays late in games.

I can tell you exactly when it's a "read option" play or just a regular run play out of the shotgun.

Cam sticks both hands in the bread basket when it's a "read option" play, and he just uses one hand when it's not.

I'll give you a couple of examples.............

The Pilares run against Tampa, was just a run out of the shotgun.

The Tolbert TD against the Saints was the same.

DeAngelo's long run to the left was a "read option" play, same as his TD run in the redzone.

[Tarheels23]

That's the thing though. How do you know that it was an option play? The back-side DE may or may not be blocked on ANY run play, depending on what run play you're running. The fact that Cam handed it off tells us one of two things: 1) Cam misread it, which doesn't seem likely, given that Cam typically doesn't miss that read, or 2) it was a designed inside-zone type of play.

The ONLY time that the Cam run out of that play becomes low is when the read man stays at home or Cam misreads it (which doesn't happen very often, given his experience running it). Cam running or not running has nothing to do with the point we're at in the game, it comes down to play-calling and Cam's ability to read the option. The only way this makes sense is if Cam is just handing it off every time late because he doesn't want to run the risk of running it and taking that meaningless hit (or he's told to hand it off regardless for the same reason). If THAT is the case, then yes, I agree, it's ignorant to run that play late and we should be running more traditional run plays late in games.

This is what I've been saying or trying to say, all along. LOL

[ItsPantone278]

listening to Cam in the post game it seems that the teams that seem most susceptible to the read option will see it the most. Should be interesting to see what we run tonight.