Read Option Gone

Ehsan Azad

Read Option Gone

                The NFL from time to time starts to fall in love with new ways to play the game. Sometimes these innovations to the game stay and become a fixture in professional football. Other times they are just unique fads that quickly lose steam and popularity. Currently, the read option/pistol offenses are taking over the league this year. Some think this will be the way offenses are structured for years to come, while I think this is just another fad that will quickly become just a footnote in the league’s history.

                The read option/pistol offenses aren’t new to the NFL. They have had popped up many times before but no coach had really utilized it well enough to make it effective in the NFL. College is where the offense really flourished and it was used at variety of programs. Then last year, when Cam Newton entered the league, the Carolina Panthers installed the read option offense and Newton became an instant star breaking Peyton Manning’s rookie record. Noting this, teams thought they could risk bringing in quarterbacks who had speed and agility and install the read option to make them more successful. Washington brought in Robert Griffin, Seattle brought in Russell Wilson, and San Francisco mid season started speedy backup Colin Kapernick. The results? All three made the playoffs, with Kapernick in the Super Bowl.  So it’s settled then, the read option is the best offense innovation since the vertical passing game.  Let’s not get carried away and let’s slow down on demanding your team switches to this popular offense.

                First, let’s examine what exactly happens in the read option. The offense allows the quarterback to quickly decide on whether to pass, handoff to a running back, or keep it himself.  The offense is known to be quick and confusing to the opposing defense. Defenses have to rely on their instincts on where the ball is going to go. This leads to big gains by the offense and quick scores.  Sounds like a great offense right? It was this year, as it led the three quarterbacks mentioned above to their first ever playoff runs. Now, people are obsessed with this offense.  They really think this could takeoff and that it will be a watershed moment in the NFL. I hate to be the one to burst their bubble, but the read option is a fad that won’t last long in the NFL.

 My main problem with this offense is that it is too simple. Sure, you can teach it very well to anyone and they will perfect it, but if it’s easy to learn then it must be easy to beat. Defensive Coordinators are spending the offseason studying how to beat it and will effectively shut down those offenses in the next few years.  One weakness is that the offense is ineffective when playing late in the game from behind. It is better to throw the ball a lot when playing from a deficit in late game situations and if the offense is built around the read option then those teams are going to see a lot of games end unfavorably.  Another big weakness is that the offense needs a certain type of quarterback.  The quarterback in a read option has to be fast and can quickly think on their feet. They need to have insanely high amounts of quick twitch fibers in their body to be able to masterfully outwit the defense. Only 5 % of Qbs in the NFL possess that talent and only handful of that 5 percent can throw the ball effectively. That is the big thing right there, throwing the ball. What makes Robert Griffin and Kapernick so dangerous is that they can throw the ball very well.  It maybe be an offense that I based on the run, but you still need a good accurate arm.  And my last reason on why to abandon this popular offense is that defensive players are only getting faster.  If you look back, players on defense historically have been slower than their offensive counterparts. Especially looking at defensive line men, these guys were slow but powerful beasts that relied on their strength. Today, they are not anything like those behemoths. They are incredibly fast and have a lot of quick movements that match up to the offense.  Eventually, you will see that defenses will have the speed to counter any kind of run that the offense tries to throw at them.

In the end, the good old pocket passer quarterback and the pass happy spread offense will still dominate the NFL.  Enjoy the read option while you can, it will soon join the wildcat and the wishbone as the dinosaurs of the football world.