Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Read Option is a shotgun run play out of Tight Flex with 11 personnel that puts the QB and HB in a mesh point read behind a zone blocking scheme up front. The offensive line steps in unison to seal the play side while the QB reads the unblocked edge defender to decide between keeping it himself or handing off to the HB. This is a pure run play designed to attack the edge, with the primary read being the backside defensive end or outside linebacker left unblocked at the point of attack.
Defensive Reads
Watch the play side defensive end or outside linebacker pre-snap since he is the read key the QB will attack Stacked boxes with eight or more defenders and an extra run support defender crashing down will blow this play up before the mesh point develops Man coverage on the perimeter with no extra flow support struggles to contain the QB keep once he turns the corner Zone coverage shells that spin a safety down into the box as a run fit killer take away the cutback lane and force a low value gain User controlled defenders who key the mesh point and stay square instead of committing to the fake are the biggest threat to this concept
Usage Tips
Check the defensive front pre-snap to confirm there is a true read defender left unblocked on the edge before the snap
Attack bases fronts and light boxes with six or fewer defenders in the box since extra defenders clog the mesh point and take away both the keep and give options
Use motion or a quick pre-snap shift to get a numbers advantage on the play side and force the defense to declare its run fit
Pair this with HB Draw and PA Post Shot from the same set so the defense has to respect both the outside zone read and the play action shot off similar formation looks
Run this on early downs like first and second and short to medium distance to keep the defense honest and set up explosive play action later in the series
