Stopping the Read-Option: we're doing it wrong

Anyone really think that a 100 year old defensive coordinator can alter his scheme to stop the read option?

His college resume says no.
 
Yeah... it's a fad offense. The way to stop it is to take away the pitch, play solid pass coverage, and make the QB run it-- then destroy him physically every chance you get. Teams like Wash and SF will then have to choose how much they want to subject their franchise athlete to that kind of punishment game in and game out.

You may give up some long runs by the QB-- but in the end, guys like Kaep and Griffin III are not built to withstand the physical punishment an NFL RB endures.
 
People always point out that Ds will adjust to the read option offense...the offense will make adjustments as well. I think it is a legit offense that will continue and morph.
 
This article is FOS.

All but 1 time the 3-4 faced the read option it either lost or got obliterated.

Each of the 3 read-option teams that made the playoffs lost to a 4-3 team.
 
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Because it isn't like Oregon didn't steamroll every defense.

People who blame Monte for the defense at USC aren't looking at important facts--- such as: Lane didn't allow there to be any tackling in practice.

That might have a slight effect on the overall performance of the D.
 
Any defense that attacks gaps is going to be best positioned to stop read-option plays. If you are attacking you have a chance to force the offense to make a move they didn't want to make. If you are deciding which gap to fill, sooner or later you are going to be fooled.

A disciplined 4-3 attacks every gap and funnels the action to a specific lane by design. The players attack more and read less.
 
Because it isn't like Oregon didn't steamroll every defense.

Feh. They didn't steamroll Stanford or Auburn in the title game. Face it, the old man has the pick of defensive talent and failed worse than Smitty at Ladies Night.
 
Feh. They didn't steamroll Stanford or Auburn in the title game. Face it, the old man has the pick of defensive talent and failed worse than Smitty at Ladies Night.

I think you are taking way too much from a couple of college football seasons. College is just such a different beast then the NFL. Scouting and projecting in college football is nothing like that in the NFL. In the NFL you are dealing with more mature finished products. In college football you recruit a 260 lb DE and he is 300 lbs before he graduates college. You get a 210 lb high school kid and he is a 260lb DE before it is all said and done. The correlation between ESPNs rank of a recruiting class and the actual production of that recruiting class are not very closely tied.

Monte Kiffin may not have the energy for it anymore but his style of defense shouldn't be any worse at stopping a read option offense then any other style of defense.
 
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