Questions about the Spread Offense

The spread can refer to a passing or running offense, while a read option can be run out of the spread but is a running offense. “The spread” is incorporated in pro ball today, just look at all the four and five wide almost all teams run at least a little these days. When people refer to “the spread” in relation to college ball today, they are usually talking about the read option or some variant of it that incorporates a little quick pass. Now the read option is not in the NFL, I guess Tebow would be a exception. If you call him an exception then perhaps some people could add the ‘wild cat’ offense to this as well. The reason why the read option isnt run is because you can get your QB killed. In college the best athlete on the field can be the QB by far, in the pros DL are athletic and huge. QBs cant run away from everyone.. anymore. Of course if your QB can run like a RB or is a RB then maybe it can work in the pros.

Because it’s currently in use by a number of teams, heck we ran it for two years under McD. The issue, like Foilhat said, is with the Spread Option or Read Option. The biggest issue, thought there are a few, centers around personnel, to run the Spread Option well requires a specialized running back, offensive line and a very mobile and tough QB. The Option is a very specialized offense, and actually really isn’t used as a pure offense (minus the Broncos for about 4 games) though a number of teams do use the Option regularly, including Tampa Bay, Carolina, Cleveland and Seattle.

So while it’s unlikely to see us return to such a heavy use of the Option like we saw early into Tebow’s, because after a while teams were able to defend it, we should expect to see it used regularly, because if used at the correct times and not too regularly, it can be an effective weapon, you just have to have the personnel and coaching to make it work.

Other than that, Foilhat’s comments answer the rest of your question I believe.

As Foilhat pointed out, the spread is widely used — the Brady use it quite a bit.

Drew Brees was the product of a spread offense at Purdue, so was Orton for that matter, but Brees shows that spread QBs can make it in the NFL.

Topher gives you a good thumbnail of the read-option. The biggest issue with the read-option working in the NFL is execution. The players have to be able to make each play look exactly alike at the beginning of the play for it keep the defense guessing.

It also requires the QB to be able to make a quick read AFTER the ball is snapped. The decision to hand the ball to the dive back or keep it is not made until after the center has snapped the ball and the QB has read a key defender.

The potential of the read-option in the NFL is fascinating. What it attempts to do is present a defense with virtually an identical look on each play, but each play could be any one of a variety of plays: a normal pass, a play action pass, a dive run, a QB keeper, a 3rd option pitch out, a screen pass, a rollout pass . . . the list goes on and on. In that, it’s not particularly different from what other offensive systems try to do — fool the defense.

To say that it doesn’t include passing is something of a misstatement — look what at Tebow’s passing numbers under Urban Meyer at Florida. Meyer’s system, in essence, duplicated the philosophy of a West Coast Offense. The WCO uses a short horizontal passing game to open up longer running and passing lanes. The read-option uses double and triple option runs in place of the short passing game of the WCO. In my opinion, that is the area Tebow needs to most improve — the ability to pull up and accurately throw a short pass.

But QB’s don’t survive long term in the NFL running the ball and all the rules favor the passing game.

If you will notice Tom Brady’s offense is in the spread quite abit with 4 and 5 wideouts. We all know how successful he is in it…Tebow and his receivers aren’t familiar enough to play spread profiiently yet, and there are many reasons why; OLine youth and continuity, receivers being familiar with Tebow’s timing and the talent level hasn’t produced enough yet to be competent, and Tebow’s own strengths with decision making, timing and acuracy. With a full offseason of working together with the coaches and offense we have a chance of making great strides from last years efforts…

There will be a 3-part MHR Primer series on the Urban Meyer offense coming out soon. What we saw in 2011 was only scratched the surface of what it can do & I think people will be surprised at how much of a “conventional” NFL offense it incorporates