| 08 August 2009
The more I look at the read option, the better I like it. With a quarterback who can throw the ball well it can be the most difficult offense to defense, at least at the college level. I remember watching the old triple option back with coach Hayes. Everybody was running the option or the wishbone back then. We talk about the numbers being put up now. I know the scholarship limits have changed the game but we used to see someone roll up an ugly score every weekend and not see them throw the ball 10 times. Beating the option is easy in plan. Assignment football at its simplest. Everybody just get their assignment and you can shut it down. It is that simple because the option is that simple. You could always attack the run. That is why I loved the freeze option. I loved watching Donovan McNabb run it. I saw the potential of an athletic quarterback who can throw the ball. We didn't see it much for awhile. Now we are seeing the read option. I don't think we have seen anyone yet that can throw the ball like this next generation that is in college now. What Pryor can be is the kind of player that makes the cover of Madden in the future. There are others. I love Newsome at Penn State. I think he is the kind of dual threat who really is a dual threat. We have heard the term before but it was really a matter of the coach having enough confidence in his athletic quarterback to let him throw the ball than it was him actually being good enough to be a real threat with his arm. The threat was in the fact that he was throwing the ball and what could happen more than it was a matter of being a threat because he was odds on to make something happen. Most so-called dual threat quarterbacks would not have been in there if it meant sitting in the pocket and throwing the ball. This generation has some kids that could be drop back passers with Pryor and Newsome right at the top of that list.
My mind went to a play that I would like to see out of the read option. Technically, I want it out of the Pistol. We messed with it a little bit last year. I want one of slots going in motion. When he gets to the back I want the ball snapped. In the Pistol there is only one back on the field. We are going to look to hand the ball off to him inside the tackles so I want a bigger guy in there. Read the linebacker. Does he go for the back inside? Pull it out and the Franchise is on the corner with the linebacker at least caught between. If he took Pryor, Pryor would have left the ball in the backs belly. He keeps it, gets to the tackle and makes a decision. If the linebacker gets there he still has a pitch man. Out of the Pistol you don't know which way the back is going.
I was thinking about which flanker I would like to see on this play. It occurred to me that any of them could run it. It also got me thinking about Grant Schwartz. With the option in our offense, I wonder about him playing quarterback. He was one fine option quarterback in high school. He is a tough minded smart kid and very fast. We are short of quarterbacks and he is buried at receiver. Since that is all that Guiton will ever do, hand off or run, we could have saved a scholarship there. As I was writing that last line it occurred to me that that may not have mattered. Guiton is a four-star athlete. I doubt he ever takes a snap in a game but I think he has a real shot at being an impact player here at wide receiver.
Another spot on the depth chart that I can't stop thinking about is Garrett Goebbel. There are alot of reps in the veterans. 2 seniors in Worthington and Denlinger, and one third year sophmore in Larimore who have racked up a whole lotta reps plus you have Heyward and likely Mobley and maybe Rose who are going to be given reps in there. Coming out of high school I said DT but just as likely OL. Bellamy and Simon on campus right now too. I would be really tempted to get him in the OL mix.
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