Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
GT Read Option is a shotgun read option run out of a 10 personnel Spread formation, with the QB and HB in a diamond mesh point behind the line. The diagram shows the QB reading the mismatched line front and making a give or keep decision based on the unblocked edge defender, with four receivers split wide to spread the box and clear out defenders. This is a pure run play with a zone read blocking scheme, not a play-action pass, and it beats light boxes and one high safety looks where the defense cannot account for both the dive and the QB keep.
Defensive Reads
Key the play side defensive end or outside linebacker first since this is the man the QB is reading for the give or keep decision. Watch for an unblocked edge defender crashing hard on the dive, which signals the QB should pull and keep to the edge. Man coverage with a light box is the worst matchup for the defense here because there is no extra run support and the spread alignment removes an extra defender from the box. A user controlled defender spying the QB or sitting outside the tackle box can shut down the keep lane and force the ball inside into a stacked front. Zone coverage with an eighth man sneaking down from depth as a scrape exchange defender is the best counter, since it takes away both the dive and keep options simultaneously.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, count the box defenders and check for a sixth or seventh man crashing down before the snap since that dictates your read.
Use this against nickel and dime personnel where the spread formation has already forced light boxes, giving the QB an advantage on the edge.
On third and short or second and manageable, this play punishes teams that sell out to stop the interior run with linebackers stacked tight.
Combine this with RPO Peek Slant or RPO Alert Bubble from the same personnel group so the defense cannot sit on the run keys without exposing the pass.
If the defense shows heavy blitz pre-snap, hot route a receiver into a quick out or bubble to hold the flat defender and open the keep lane for the QB.
