Q: different option reads
I was thinking about MSU and how Greg Jones is by far their best player. I figured if we keyed off him, perhaps it would edict his effectiveness. Maybe it's suicide to leave an LB unblocked, but I was just curious. It seems you could adapt and read any defender "in the box". When we face teams that have a star defender, it would be cool if we could essentially take them out of the game by having them be the "hot read".
Dumb idea?
October 3rd, 2010 at 7:47 PM ^
"edict"="reduce". Stupid spell check...
October 3rd, 2010 at 7:50 PM ^
They read all kinds of players. Sometimes DE's, sometimes OLB, sometimes MLB. I guess they might read safeties depending on the defensive allignment and the play call. I would guess Denard and the slot read the safety on that draw/bomb which I'm pretty convinced is an option.
October 3rd, 2010 at 8:00 PM ^
I've never heard of a play where the MLB is optioned, but I've also never been around a team that runs much option. Still...I doubt it.
October 3rd, 2010 at 8:16 PM ^
I also doubt it. It seems like it would just be too weird of a blocking scheme. Block for a hole up the middle, if the MLB stays back go up the middle (either QB or RB). If he fills the hole, then the run goes outside. It seems like you're only going to get 3 yards up the middle and the outside run depends on the OLBs and safeties.
I think the key to reducing the impact of Jones is for Omameh and Molk to get out and block him into safeties.
October 3rd, 2010 at 8:09 PM ^
Announcers would talk about Oregon last year, when Masoli would read the defensive tackle (3-technique). I've also read that they heard the playside defensive tackle as well, which is interesting.
October 3rd, 2010 at 8:29 PM ^
I think smart football did a picture page write up about it last year. Brian may have commented on it somewhere here as well.
October 3rd, 2010 at 8:42 PM ^
If your QB is the primary runner and the play is set up for him, you read the end. If he stays in contain, you essentially bail out to the RB. The problem with reading that middle is that you don't know what that end did. He is the biggest key. If the middle is wrecked and you don't handoff, the DE is acting completly independant and can still blow it up. The DE is tha safest read and gives you the best opportunity to exploit the defense. I always heard about Oregon reading the middle too. I am not sure how that works though for the reasons stated above. I would be interested in knowing exactly how that read worked. Honestly, as the season progresses I think we will see less option and more zone runs. My reasoning for that thought is that teams will just start to contain all the time therefor taking away one side of the option. actually when I think about it we don't option a lot the way it is. I do love that run/pass option we have. I have no idea how you consistently defend that. Everyone was so enamored by by the wildcat when it was first introduced. Essentially what we have here is the wildcat with the most explosive player in the country that is also a pretty good passer. If everything hold up, we should be lethal.
October 3rd, 2010 at 8:28 PM ^
Don't take this as an insult, but Rich Rod runs a very simple version of the spread option, I.E. very little motioning, not a lot of different zone reads, little to no triple option, etc. I am fine with that. I can only drool about the day our defense becomes above average. We would have no problem putting up Oregon-esque numbers. I also think Shoelace has felt the pressure to succeed at times during the game. They had several opportunities to put the game out of reach, but I think he tensed up a little bit, though I'm sure some of that was injury related and some was play calling/execution.
October 3rd, 2010 at 10:04 PM ^
we have not seen this run here at Michigan yet. We have only seen the quarterback keep, or the inside read. There are actually four options when run against the D end. The mid line is when the quarterback reads the playside D T.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e4zyYXJUnE
PS the first read is always the Safety. You always want to key off the safety first. If he's in the box you already know that a pass is a bigger part of your option. If the Safety is up top that pass over the middle is a smaller option and the bubble screen becomes a bigger option. It can get really difficult to make those reads and decisions in split seconds that's why everybody cannot execute this offense as well as some, You will see some QBs that will execute an abreviate version in some cases.
Varsityblue blogspot simplifies it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrygTMsyCek&NR=1
October 3rd, 2010 at 11:37 PM ^
The zone read "midline" is a great answer to 4-3 chalk teams, especially Iowa. Dantonio is a 4-3 guy, too, and I believe this would be a great series to run these next two weeks. I think it would be great against MSU if they play their safeties like they did last year. Their safeties keyed the slot receiver. If the slot ran a bubble screen route, the safety attacked it hard.
Midline:
- Zone blocking to the playside
- Instead of reading the backside DE, the backside OT fan blocks him
- QB reads the backside B-gap defender. Sometimes this is a 3-technique, sometimes this is an ILB
- If B-gap defender chases RB, QB pulls and runs downhill in B gap.
- If B-gap defender stays home, QB gives ball to RB and the zone play has a numerical advantage.
Some 4-3 teams like to put their 3-technique away from the back. If they do this, then the Mike is the backside B-gap defender.
If the defense puts the 3-technique to the back, then the 3-tech. is the backside B-gap defender.
If the offense wants to get advanced, the QB will first read the backside B-gap defender for give/pull. If he gets a pull read, he will then move on to key the Will backer. If the Will tries to come inside to the B-gap, the QB will throw. If not, the QB will run.
October 3rd, 2010 at 11:26 PM ^
... for greg jones is going to be with second level blocking and taking advantage of his sub-par coverage skills. The only player to actually get denard with a hit he would remember this season was teo, and jones is a hell of alot better than him. There can not be any missed blocks on greg jones.
October 3rd, 2010 at 11:43 PM ^
...there are any LBs a hell of a lot better than Te'o, including Greg Jones. Te'o is pretty badass.
October 4th, 2010 at 12:20 AM ^
Is anyone else suprised that we have not shown more speed option with denard and Shaw/Smith? It seems the Speed Option would be a very effective attack with the way teams are afraid of Denard. Is it likely because we are trying to get Denard to the outside, and the RB to the Inside, and the speed Option is doing the opposite?