Read This, Be Smarter: NFL Confident About Figuring Out Read-Option

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Fantastic writeup about the things under consideration in the NFL during the offseason by Chris Brown at Grantland.com and smartfootball.com.

Includes possibly the best two paragraph description of the trouble the Packers had in San Fran:

The variation that did the most damage in the NFL last season can be primarily credited to Chris Ault, Kaepernick's college coach and the architect of the so-called Pistol Offense, which the Redskins and 49ers and others then adapted to their own systems.

This wrinkle, known as a "zone bluff" or "samurai," in Ault's terminology, adds another offensive player to the blocking scheme — typically either a fullback or a tight end. This player's job is to "arc" around and block the outside linebacker — the very defender who will take the quarterback in the scrape exchange. This is the play that incinerated the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, when they were repeatedly outmanned and out of position in trying to stop San Francisco's read-option-plus-a-lead-blocker attack.

You get screen shots of the Matthews spin-o-rama as part of the explanation, advice on adjustments (including some from Dave Aranda, new UW D coordinator) and what the counters to those adjustments are.

Most interesting is the idea that this play was the Packers worst nightmare. If true (and there were at least two big runs out of it) it points to the problem of preparing a team for a newer offensive scheme/play. The Packers were using some of the techniques described early in the article (the scrape exchange). They then got burned when Roman went with Ault's adjustment play which was a counter to the Packers adjustment. Might be why the second half looked even worse.

They might have been able to hang with first move but were not ready for option B.

[BobDobbs]

At some point I've committed to rewatching that game. Maybe in a week or two. I'm still enjoying the sweet summer start of training camp. It's like fresh cut grass.

That is a really good article. Pictures and everything. My worry after reading it is the athleticism of our front seven. In my mind our two best DL are our big guys that root in there and are hard to move. Hopefully Datone is someone who can crash the RB and force the QB to keep it. And our LBs? Except for Matthews I really worry about the Athleticism. Well, with Perry it's not athleticism its awareness.

If Perry can get better at his position and our safteties get a year smarter that should help. What I can't remember is if Crabtree was roasting us off of read option stuff or if we just couldn't cover him. I guess I'll look at that when I check out the game. It's going to be a Clockwork Orange kinda night.

[esoxx]

579

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Another great article, this one from Greg Bedard, former Packer beat guy now at MMQB.si.com that starts out with more basics and includes this quote about the Packers game:

Most of the Packers’ blown yardage in that playoff game against the 49ers came when they were employing man coverage with help from two safeties over the top. In this schematic wrinkle, cornerbacks position themselves as close to receivers as possible while staying between the quarterback and his target. This, however, requires them to play with their backs to the line of scrimmage, which might as well be a Bat-Signal for QBs like Kaepernick to take off running.

Now Bedard isn't perfect and his read here on the safeties isn't perfect either. Safeties often come down to help the give/dive gap and that was not the Packers main problem. So in a sense their presence deep only indicates the real issue, no one wide could handle CK. That arc block the previous article talks about inhibits the best outside hope for the Packers with CBs in man coverage.

I doubt this means you cannot play man, but it definitely means you have to have a QB contain that the arc block doesn't hook inside. That might mean the unblocked DE has to grab but not tackle the give and pursue inside to out. You must dump the scrape exchange, have the ILBs look over the A gaps, bring the safety down for the B gap/give and then let the OLB hang outside to contain the QB.

Bedard made for a terrible columnist and his opinion stuff even on Twitter seemed to mark him as a jackass first and foremost. But his reported pieces usually were quite good. This one fills the bill.

[pbmax]

Another money quote:

Mason depicts a solution on the whiteboard, showing the unblocked end first going upfield, at no one, and then squeezing down on the running back once he gets the ball. The idea is to let the quarterback make a decision without giving him all the information he wants.

“The quarterback wants a fast read all the time,” Mason says. “If you don’t give him a fast read, then things start to break down and he starts to panic because everything is predicated on him being able to make a fast read. Especially in the NFL, because they don’t want to get that guy hit. If you come up the field and then try to squeeze, it’s now hard on the quarterback.”

[Maxie the Taxi]

Why not simply every play assign a LB or 5th DB to spy on the QB?

[pbmax]

Why not simply every play assign a LB or 5th DB to spy on the QB?

Because the LB cannot catch CK on a wide run and a DB takes someone out of coverage. Packers tried to spy and it was not effective.

In essence, if the offense knows you are doing it, it takes two defenders out of the play. One is the unblocked guy. Second is the spy, who cannot do anything until the ball leaves the QB's hand. You just give handoff motion every play and have a pass route option.

[MadScientist]

The thing that always jumps out at me on the pistol is that it is a slow developing play. The QB stands there with the ball in the gut of the RB and reads the guy he is reading. It would seem like some form of the 46 defense would eliminate the time needed read. He could still do some quick timing pass if this were recognized quickly enough, as the west coast offense did in the 46. But would the QB take a few hits from the big blitz before making adjustments? More than anything else, big QB hits will discourage this offense.

[pbmax]

The thing that always jumps out at me on the pistol is that it is a slow developing play. The QB stands there with the ball in the gut of the RB and reads the guy he is reading. It would seem like some form of the 46 defense would eliminate the time needed read. He could still do some quick timing pass if this were recognized quickly enough, as the west coast offense did in the 46. But would the QB take a few hits from the big blitz before making adjustments? More than anything else, big QB hits will discourage this offense.

Its also a matter of sequence. The second article points out that one of the best techniques to use is to instruct the DE who is unblocked to wait before attacking and always be in position to squeeze the hole for the RB. The QB cannot make a good decision without info and a delay provides no input. Stalling in this case works to the D advantage. The faster you are to the mesh (handoff) the faster the QB gets to pick the open gap.

The problem with any over loaded front this that there are extra blockers with one unblocked DE. A tight run D formation just puts the CB and single safety in more jeopardy.

That second article maintains that to regain the gap advantage, you need to 2 gap on defense to free up a body for contain.

[Fritz]

So the two gap the Packers seem to play would work to their advantage, right? The nose tackle takes on two, the ILB coming in does the same, correct? Or is it one of the D ends?

It sounds like, oddly, the key is to not commit on defense. If the defensive ends can play tough and squeeze the RB's holes in the middle, then the outside linebackers don't have to jump inside and are there for contain?

One thing: You better have sure tackling. You can't set all this shit up, have it work perfectly, then have your inside linebacker or your defensive end or your outside linebacker miss a tackle. Stop with trying to clobber the guy. Get him on the ground.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Stop with trying to clobber the guy. Get him on the ground.

+1

[Upnorth]

So the two gap the Packers seem to play would work to their advantage, right? The nose tackle takes on two, the ILB coming in does the same, correct? Or is it one of the D ends?

It sounds like, oddly, the key is to not commit on defense. If the defensive ends can play tough and squeeze the RB's holes in the middle, then the outside linebackers don't have to jump inside and are there for contain?

One thing: You better have sure tackling. You can't set all this shit up, have it work perfectly, then have your inside linebacker or your defensive end or your outside linebacker miss a tackle. Stop with trying to clobber the guy. Get him on the ground.

On two huge kapernic runs Walden was in the perfect spot, but didn't play the ball and instead turned to the rb. That resulted in 14 points and about 60 is yards. We had an okay D but didn't play disciplined.

[Fritz]

Walden was enthusiastic, but he didn't have a feel for the game, I don't think. Or maybe he just wasn't disciplined. God, how many times did that guy get sucked inside when his job was to contain outside? He just couldn't seem to help himself.

[pbmax]

So the two gap the Packers seem to play would work to their advantage, right? The nose tackle takes on two, the ILB coming in does the same, correct? Or is it one of the D ends?

It sounds like, oddly, the key is to not commit on defense. If the defensive ends can play tough and squeeze the RB's holes in the middle, then the outside linebackers don't have to jump inside and are there for contain?

One thing: You better have sure tackling. You can't set all this shit up, have it work perfectly, then have your inside linebacker or your defensive end or your outside linebacker miss a tackle. Stop with trying to clobber the guy. Get him on the ground.

The Packers tend to 2 gap less than traditional 3-4 teams and that has been the trend across the league. They often two gap the nose and let the DEs one gap.

The problem here is that Raji is not a natural two gapper. And when they run the read-option, two D lineman get doubled-teamed. That is a tough assignment.