Why Stopping the Read-Option Isn't as Easy as You Think

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

One of the "prettiest" things about Griffin's game is his exchange with RB's. The TV camera can be right on it, and still sometimes no one really knows where the ball ended up. I don't think his ACL took that ability away.

Exactly. He has the best fake hand-offs I've ever seen. Often, he fools me, the commentators, the camera and of course the defense.

Not every team can have the success that we do with this scheme, because only we have Robert Griffin III running it. His can execute like no one else, he's faster and most impressively, he also has the skills and accuracy to be one of the best passers in the NFL even if he had to stand still in the pocket. This is where Kaepernick, Newton, Wilson and even Vick will fail to be as successful as Griffin. He's the whole package. The others can do everything, but only he can do everything at an elite level.

[over the mountain]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

One of the "prettiest" things about Griffin's game is his exchange with RB's. The TV camera can be right on it, and still sometimes no one really knows where the ball ended up. I don't think his ACL took that ability away.

i was amazed out how well he and morris worked together. sometimes rg3 keeps the ball in morris' bread basket until the very last second. i know one game last year they slowed it down and did repeat views of how long rg3 keep the ball in morris' stomach before keeping it himself.

amazed they had no problems/fumbles last year for 2 rookies.

[Defensewins]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

One of the "prettiest" things about Griffin's game is his exchange with RB's. The TV camera can be right on it, and still sometimes no one really knows where the ball ended up. I don't think his ACL took that ability away.

Yes sir, RGIII's play action fake is one of the best and quickest in the league. Another unappreciated QB skill is foot work. IMO RGIII can take the snap, fake a hand off and set up to throw faster and better than any QB in the league, his motion in this process is consistent and flawless. You can tell he has worked on this for a long time. I noticed this in his first camp with us.

I remember Bill Walsh (IMO one of the best offensive minds in the game) talking about Qb's skills. He said what really jumped out at him about Joe Montana when they were scouting him at ND was his foot work and ball skills. He said he had not seen better foot work on a Qb coming out of since Joe Namath.
Walsh said most teams/scouts look at arm strength, height/size, leadership and football knowledge as the main measures. Most overlook the most important/basic skill - footwork and ball skills. If you do not set your feet quickly and well your throws will not be accurate. RGIII threw 20 TD's to only 5 Int's.
Suck on that Jaworski you eagle homer.

[Monkeydad]

Here's how I addressed this last season...thought I had a good point so I dug it back up.

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

If we abandon it, we're not utilizing Griffin's talent to its fullest potential.

Until the league catches up and learns how to stop it, keep going pedal to the metal.

I do not believe the league's defenses CAN stop it. It's not a scheme that they have to figure out like Hideo Nomo's quirky wind-up or the Dolphin's Wildcat experiment...you can't really learn something that presents itself as completely unpredictable. Griffin's fake handoffs are like Houdini's tricks. He's so good at hiding the ball so well that no one knows where it is that you can't learn how to defend it. It will always freeze defenders and send them in the wrong directions. It's not something they can adjust to, they have to either hesitate until they know for sure who has the ball, or they have to gamble one way or the other. Maybe a new defensive alignment can be developed to try to cover the field better, but the offense is based on causing the defense to guess and react.

I don't see this being a fading trend. It works. We have changed the way the pro game is played.

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

Yes, because a gimmick gives you the #1 rushing offense in the NFL AND one of the highest-rated passers in the league, in his rookie year.

Get used to it, we're a powerhouse on offense and will be for years. This isn't a gimmick that defenses can figure out...RGIII's incredible ball skills on fake hand-offs and the option plays isn't something you figure out, it's something you just have to hope you guess the right way on as a defender. There's nothing complex to decipher, this offense just forces the defense to react and take a blind guess about where the ball is and is going.

http://www.thewarpath.net/redskins-l...tml#post998867

[scowan]

I love how all I have read this offseason about how Defenses are going to stop it are to "hit the QB". That is code for "we really dont know how to stop it."

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by scowan

I love how all I have read this offseason about how Defenses are going to stop it are to "hit the QB". That is code for "we really dont know how to stop it."

The league won't let that go on for long as a defensive strategy. QBs are the moneymakers for the NFL and they've proven they will do whatever they need to do rules-wise and penalty/fines/suspensions-wise to protect their income streams. The Commissioner's office made the suggestion last season that read-option QBs throw their hands up if they do not have the ball. That won't fly because it takes the element of deception away.

If we keep running this, I fully expect the NFL to come up with new restrictions on the defenses as far as hitting QBs. RGIII could be the most-popular player and product the NFL has.

[RedskinRat]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

The league won't let that go on for long as a defensive strategy. <SNIP>

I expect late hit on the QB's to be punished with ejections in the not-too-distant future.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by RedskinRat

I expect late hit on the QB's to be punished with ejections in the not-too-distant future.

Good. That will help our team more than hurt it.


New calls coming up: "Hitting a defenseless passer"

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

The league won't let that go on for long as a defensive strategy. QBs are the moneymakers for the NFL and they've proven they will do whatever they need to do rules-wise and penalty/fines/suspensions-wise to protect their income streams. The Commissioner's office made the suggestion last season that read-option QBs throw their hands up if they do not have the ball. That won't fly because it takes the element of deception away.

If we keep running this, I fully expect the NFL to come up with new restrictions on the defenses as far as hitting QBs. RGIII could be the most-popular player and product the NFL has.

What else can they do? I've already seen horrendous calls this pre season with the NFL over protecting the QB's. But I do think you're on to something. The minute a QB gets drilled and there's an injury off a read option fake, you can be assured that the league will come up w/ a new rule.

[HailGreen28]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

The Commissioner's office made the suggestion last season that read-option QBs throw their hands up if they do not have the ball. That won't fly because it takes the element of deception away.

That's exactly what Griffin ended up doing last season, and it worked out pretty well. By the time he throws his hands up, Morris is already gashing the defense.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

i was amazed out how well he and morris worked together. sometimes rg3 keeps the ball in morris' bread basket until the very last second. i know one game last year they slowed it down and did repeat views of how long rg3 keep the ball in morris' stomach before keeping it himself.

amazed they had no problems/fumbles last year for 2 rookies.

This is how you fumble:


This is not:

[ArcticRed]

Every time I read about putting more pressure on a read-option quarterback is the answer to defending it, I think about the Redskins vs Ram game last year.

The Rams just kept knocking RGIII on his back, cheap shots to his head or a simple hand push in the face. Even after he got rid of the ball. It was the first time I saw RG lose his cool. Once it started to visibly show that it was effecting RG, we proceed to blow a 15 pt lead and eventually lose the game.

I really do hope MShanahan starts to utilize his arm more than his legs this year. I think RG has a fantastic touch on his passes. Something that was not as needed last year with so many wide open receivers created from the read-option.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by ArcticRed

Every time I read about putting more pressure on a read-option quarterback is the answer to defending it, I think about the Redskins vs Ram game last year.

The Rams just kept knocking RGIII on his back, cheap shots to his head or a simple hand push in the face. Even after he got rid of the ball. It was the first time I saw RG lose his cool. Once it started to visibly show that it was effecting RG, we proceed to blow a 15 pt lead and eventually lose the game.

I really do hope MShanahan starts to utilize his arm more than his legs this year. I think RG has a fantastic touch on his passes. Something that was not as needed last year with so many wide open receivers created from the read-option.

Look at the Post article from a while back that looks at how many hits Griffin took per game. After the Rams and Cinci games Griffin never took that many hits again. And the Rams game would have been called differently with the regular refs. Hitting the qb is not a defense against the Read Option in this NFL, the risk of penalties hurting your defense is greater than the risk to any effective qb. Baltimore tried it in the SB, and near the end CK was making some pretty effective plays. I go back to the Minnesota game when Jared Allen was so frustrated that he was going to switch from crashing down to aiming for the qb. As long as the DE has in mind what he is going to do before the play, the offense, and a good qb will effectively negate his actions.

[Monkeydad]

That Rams game was completely out of hand and normally would not be tolerated by officials.

Fisher was taking advantage of the replacement refs who were either intimidated by his hot head or were just told be to conservative with the whistles. I was pretty angry with the things the refs let Fisher and his dirty players like Finnegan got away with. There were countless fights from the first play and cheap shots being thrown at us every chance they got.

That's not a gameplan we'll see working again. Those refs were never in control.

I still do not blame Morgan for losing his cool and throwing that ball that lost us the game. He was taking cheap shots all day without them being called. A man can only take so much. Even Griffin was visibly frustrated.

Replacement officials lose control early on in Redskins-Rams game - Washington Times

Last night’s crew also presided over Rams-Redskins mess | ProFootballTalk

Washington Redskins -- Robert Griffin III says he took cheap shots from St. Louis Rams - ESPN

Hall leads chorus of Redskins unhappy with officials

[Skins4L]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

That Rams game was completely out of hand and normally would not be tolerated by officials.

Fisher was taking advantage of the replacement refs who were either intimidated by his hot head or were just told be to conservative with the whistles. I was pretty angry with the things the refs let Fisher and his dirty players like Finnegan got away with. There were countless fights from the first play and cheap shots being thrown at us every chance they got.

That's not a gameplan we'll see working again. Those refs were never in control.

I still do not blame Morgan for losing his cool and throwing that ball that lost us the game. He was taking cheap shots all day without them being called. A man can only take so much. Even Griffin was visibly frustrated.

Replacement officials lose control early on in Redskins-Rams game - Washington Times

Last night’s crew also presided over Rams-Redskins mess | ProFootballTalk

Washington Redskins -- Robert Griffin III says he took cheap shots from St. Louis Rams - ESPN

Hall leads chorus of Redskins unhappy with officials

I agree that game was bull. like a true screwjob.