How the option works, and why it's in more places than you might think 

What you call a quadruple option is called an RPO (run pass option) , where a secondary player or a linebacker is read by the qb , in a play involving a running play and a passing concept. It is very popular in today’s college/nfl football world !

Should be noted that in your "quadruple option" example you should a clip of a CFL game. Canadian football is 12-players-a-side rather than 11 in American football. You're more likely to see that "quadruple" there rather than in the US because you've got one more guy at your disposal.

How could you not mention Georgia Tech during the triple option??

Love it! Can always use more "exes and ohs" types of content! Can't wait to see more

The best way to stop the other team to run the option is to hit the Qb no matter what. It's trickery so you can just play it as being fooled and hes a runner for the most part so hitting him is fine. Most teams will stop running it to protect their Qb from taking so many hits that he doesnt even have the ball for. Trust your teammates that they'll stop the RB. One thing my coahces would tell us is stay square if your the end or OLB once you tunr your shoulders its over. And OLB's and DE's have the outside threat the ILB's and DT's have the inside threat, once you look at it that way it takes away the process of figuring out who has the ball

man, that was a KILLER shovel pass at 2:50

Basketball is my favorite sport. I like the way they dribble up and down the court.

To me, the interesting follow up to this vid would we "times the defender forces the more difficult play, which failed". On occasions when I've played defense (be it soccer or field hockey), some of my best plays are when I've forced a tricky play that didn't come off.

2:51 Aaron Hernandez really kills this option play. Executes it perfectly and hung the defense out to dry!

I love x's and o's stuff like this! Please make this a regular series!

We need more flexbone teams

The classic Zone Read kings were Pat White and Steve Slaton at WVU in the mid-aughts

Insane to think there are coaches who shy away from the option as a concept. Imagine running a pass play with only one receiver running one route.

Your example of a quadruple option was just a triple option with a WR screen instead of a slotback pitch. To have an option you need to "read" a defender. In a triple option, you read two defenders.

what i love about the option is the fact that the T can block in the second level, be it a LB or DB. i think that's more important than the isolation of the DE

Jason Garrett needs to utilize this with Dak and Zeke. Cowboys will be unstoppable with this. What he lacks in arm strength and accuracy, he can make up with his IQ and use his legs. You've heard it from almost every opponent they play. "As long as we stop the run, stack the box and make Dak throw, we've got a good chance of beating the Cowboys." These plays will make up for his mistakes as he continue to mature as a football player. He's really big QB and we still get the ball to our main skill position player, Zeke. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's thought more about this. Surely, the offensive coordinator has a good reason as to why we don't do this more often.

If you ever watch Rugby or Rugby League, basically ever offensive play is based on essentially this concept. They just do it faster, with more players and anywhere on the field. It’s usually referred to as the “Draw and Pass” because all that’s happening is that you’re running a player at a defender or even two defenders and then trying to draw one or both and then passing to a teammate to run through the gap those now out of position players have left. Nice to see it explained in a different sport though.

I actually love the option offense because it’s all about reading one or several players at one time. Just the read option is my favorite out of all the other options because it’s mostly a basic play when you first look at it but it has several options on it and you can throw out of it if you sense that the defense is creeping up on you in the running game.

Mentioned Navy for the triple option, but not Georgia Tech lmao

Hey, people who know the CFL exists! Do some more!

I really love this style of video, I hope you all do more of these. Some constructive criticism from a big fan who really wants yall to succeed: As someone who is a casual football fan at best, I found this video moved a little too quickly for me. I really wanted to understand each of the points he was making and see the defender's mistake in each of the clips but the editing was too fast for me to keep up. I think if you had allowed an extra mintues worth of time on the video for the same amount of content I would have been able to follow a lot better.

This is fantastic.

The Army-Navy game this weekend will have the option on show heavily.

One part you left out about the wishbone is that it had the fourth option of the flipping the ball to the end as a reverse. So, it is more truly a quadruple option than the RPO with high-low read that you show as a quadruple option. If you're going to call that a quadruple option you can call a RPO with three routes a quintuple option.

Thanks. This was a very informative video, not just on the option, but even showing just the different formations, that may be something basic but I'm european, I've never played american football, and now i'm starting to watch CFB/NFL (mostly CFB) and I need to learn all of the basic things.

The "quadruple" option is called an RPO (run pass option).

Paul Johnson is the Goat!!!!!!!!!!

There's a reason that the option is a staple of college offenses, and is utilized as much in the same way at the professional level. It's because the one component needed more than any other to make the option work is speed. The NFL has speed at every position, so it is far more difficult to get around a guy, even if they are out of position. Where an option might consistently pick up 5 or more ypc, that number is likely less than 3 ypc in the pros. That would turn into a lot of 3 and outs, which is why you see more pass option plays in the NFL. Bigger chunks of yards are needed than a typical option can provide when the QB/RB combo isn't guaranteed to be the two most athletic guys on the field.

Miss you already CPJ

NFL teams typically don’t do this, because your QB takes a lot of hits. With the pros that guy is an investment. You’re paying him to throw, not pick up six yards and get hit by a safety. Typically, defensive ends are taught to close down (shuffle parallel to the line of scrimmage) to force the QB to give the ball. Undisciplined DEs will run upfield and create a huge cutback lane for the RB after the QB gives it to him.

Illegal formation at the 1:02 mark. Not enough men on the line of scrimmage. 5 yard penalty, repeat 3rd down.

You need to make a video about why this DOESNT work in the NFL. If it works so well to deceive defenders, why does no NFL defense have it as a staple of their offense? Kaep and the 49ers and Cam Newton and the Panthers used it heavily for a little bit but then it got snuffed out and is basically dead in the NFL. You still see it every now and then but wayyyyyy less than you do in college.

Nebraska had the best option out of the I formation. They should still be running it today

You should do a video like this on 1-3-1 in hockey, aka the trap

Not sure if this is ethical, but if the defense hit the quarterback every time they ran an option they would stop running it. I'm sure they'd get flagged a lot for it, but it would be legitimate to say you didn't realize the quarterback didn't have the ball

More stuff like this would be great!!

more of this formation stuff

The Army/Navy/Georgia Tech option really isn't a triple option, since there isn't anything to read on the dive option, the real triple option is the shovel pass and/or run pass option

Oh my god! You showed a clip from the CFL! I'm a happy Canadian.

I find that an offense is deadliest when the players can execute two schemes under one unified playbook. Take the Seahawks 2018 offense; it is basically a version of Air Coryell, but if you analyze the plays more closely, you realize that the team uses a mix of QB option & play action, and the 'Hawks have been great at executing this type of offense. It utilizes the throwing strength, and deep ball accuracy, of Wilson, and because they have a great running attack/offensive line they can go into the Play Action whenever they want.

Don't forget the Veer option offense!

This video depresses me so much! #BringbackNCAA!!!!

Quality content. Not pretty good, but damn well decent. And informative. Well done.

The option is alive and well in the NFL with teams like the Chiefs and the Eagles using it to great effectiveness.

Army is a nationally ranked team right now whose offense is completely based on the triple option. How are they not mentioned?

My high school team runs the option and we suck at it.

Why can’t we have the quintuple option now? We sort of already have the triple and quadruple option in rpos. Why not have a triple option run with 2 receivers running various routes ?

Semantics, but that Oregon-Stanford play at 1:47 is from 2011, NOT 2010.

What? No love for the split-back veer?

He just retired: Bill Snyder ran the option to perfection on his great squads. He also stopped running it almost entirely his last two seasons. Does anyone know why? Also: Anyone have an opinion about running the option to the short side of the field? Worthless? Trickery?

Interesting. I always pictured this as the ideal offense for a team with no big obvious strength or which excelled at improvising. Never knew the point was essentially "hit it where they ain't". There's no question that, with the right personnel, this offense can work wonders. From what I can see, the main limitations are that 1. all the ball handlers have to be smart, quick-thinking, and in sync, and 2. it needs a quarterback who can either avoid big hits or isn't afraid to take them. If a quarterback has fast feet but a less than impressive arm, like Tim Tebow, the option could be a viable alternative to a more conventional passing attack. The bottom line is that college teams will do whatever it takes to win; making the opposition look like utter fools is just a nice little bonus.

That was amazing!

So, basically, have options, and see what the defense does, and do the option that counters.

I see NFL Defenders Bluff like they are going at the RB then at the last moment change direction and head for the QB. Or vic versa. One NFL recent defender had his head looking at the RB while his body was running toward the QB!

ayyy let's go 'Skers

Can someone explain to me what "read" in terms of football exactly means?

nice shout out to Fishduck

Could you guys do a Beef History on Ryan Reaves and Tom Wilson

Wish bone, the flex, I formation, single wing, the T, splitback. .... basically every formation from the past to present, there is nothing new under the sun

The option isn't that hard to stop as long as you have disciplined defenders. D End takes QB, D Tackles & LBs play the running back, and depending on what formation, a nickel, dime, strongside backer or even safety over the top has pitch. As long as everyone plays their role, the option can be stopped.

How do you not show any Auburn???

If it is a pitch option as a defender. Always make the QB pitch it. More chance of a dropped ball.

Cool video!

Outside the CFL example, there aren't really any professional teams you mentionef that use the option as their primary offensive attack. Is the NFL so much faster that options don't work outside of potential trick plays, i.e. Wildcat.

Ran the triple option in high school won a state title

When thinking of the triple option I think of Navy.

The video makes it sound like defenders don't know what to do. Every edge defender at the college level knows whether he should crash or stay should he be unblocked. They look silly when they try to play both.

Okay, but how come everyone was saying the Read Option was going to change Football just a couple years ago, but now hardly anybody runs it like they used to? The Redskins, 49ers, and Seahawks all toned it down. Why? Did defenses find a way to stop it?

Stopped watching after the inference that LB was the GOAT

When the hell was Tenessee #9?

Now I understand why my offense never gets stopped on Madden 😂 I'm essentially running a pass focused quadruple option

triple option and no mention of paul johnson, smh...

Run pass options?

An entire video about the option without one mention of Georgia Tech?

Welcome to college football saturday

hey can you do a The Worst video about hue jackson thank you

Now that CPJ is gone, power 5 option football is dead.

calgary what what! Go Stamps

Sir Donald Bradman please.

When we defend option the DE has the QB

Fear the veer

The NFL doesn't run the option very much because they don't want their QB to get injured and doing it from wildcat is too predictable. College teams don't run the option as much as they used to because they are more serious about recruiting the best players and the best offensive players don't want to go to an option school where their NFL dreams will be destroyed. It's not because the option is ineffective.

on the diagram y'all got the z receiver completely uncovered...sloppy

WE LIKE SPORTS AND WE DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS

It took 2 and a half minutes to show Air Force running the option? And almost as long to show Navy? c'mon! They're probably the best teams to begin with.

LeBron wouldn't have to try and defend two players if the other players on his team put forth the effort to play defense.

Poor Defensive end looking bad af in front of scouts if he's way to easily fooled

Beat Navy

You said GOAT but MJ isn’t here...?

Go Ducks 503

Why not just cream the quarterback every time? Even if he hands the ball off he’s gonna pay for it.

“No one can guard 2 players at once...not even the GOAT.” Why is there an unrelated video of Lebron not playing defense in this video. Bad editing.

Too bad lebron does not play defense anyway

Bron is a GOAT not THE GOAT tho. That belongs to Brian Scalabrine

Great video. The voice guy though... very annoying. And -Lebron is not the GOAT.

Early

*RU-vid TeenyBopper-* Ive got the 4th comment! *WORSHIP ME!*

CFL>NFL

Lebron not even close to the goat on defense.... jusssss sayinnnnn