Read Option

Watch the play side defensive end or outside linebacker before the snap since Read Option lives and dies on how disciplined that defender is with the mesh. If that edge defender sits and waits instead of crashing, the QB should give the ball since the read defender has taken himself out of the play. A scrape exchange or a defense with a spy assigned to the QB will shut this down quickly, so if you see a linebacker cheating toward the mesh point pre-snap, expect the read to be taken away. Look for safety rotation toward the trips side, which often signals man coverage or a run blitz from the backside that the QB needs to account for. Heavy blitz packages with an extra defender crashing off the edge unblocked are the biggest threat to this play, so identify blitz pressure pre-snap and be ready to hand off quickly rather than holding the mesh too long.