Read Option

Watch the play side defensive end pre snap, if he is crashing hard or showing a scrape exchange tendency the defense is designed to take away both the give and the keep. Identify if the defense is in a 4-3 or 3-4 look with a true edge setter, a disciplined edge player who stays home on the QB kills this play's explosive upside. Look for extra defenders stacked in the box on early downs, a heavy box with a spy or contain defender signals the defense expects zone read and will crash the mesh point. Post snap, track any user controlled linebacker flowing hard to the play side A gap, this is the biggest threat to blow up the inside zone hand off portion of the read. If the defense shows Cover 3 or Cover 4 with safeties rotating down into the box, expect the numbers to favor the defense and consider checking to a different run concept in this set instead.