Is the "read option" by the Bills something you like?

[Kirby Jackson]

I love the read option. When you don’t have backs that can get to the edge you have to use Josh to do that. He is an elite runner. Josh’s legs make the offense so much more dynamic. He just needs to protect the football. 

[Old Coot]

It's risky, that's for sure.  So why do it?

 

As has been pointed out our run game was non-existent except for Josh's runs.  With zone blocking you get the DL moving laterally and gap control can be difficult.  Invariably, there is a hole which the QB can scoot through.

 

The success of the QB runs forces the defense to account for the QB as a runner and that usually takes a man out of pass coverage which makes the passing game more successful.

 

Still, I'm worried about the wear & tear on Josh's body.  Look what happened to Cam Newton.

[LB48]

On 9/15/2020 at 10:17 PM, Kirby Jackson said:

I love the read option. When you don’t have backs that can get to the edge you have to use Josh to do that. He is an elite runner. Josh’s legs make the offense so much more dynamic. He just needs to protect the football. 

I bet Yeldon can get to the edge.

[Rochesterfan]

7 hours ago, LB48 said:

I bet Yeldon can get to the edge.

Yep - unless someone sticks an arm out or a butterfly sails by and Yeldon gets tripped up.

[GunnerBill]

7 hours ago, LB48 said:

I bet Yeldon can get to the edge.

 

Yea because is there is a perfect antidote to Josh fumbling it is the non-running running back fumbling.

[eball]

Josh Allen is a dual threat.  Fans would do well to simply remember that.  His running is a weapon.  The ONLY problem I have with the read option calls is when Josh does not protect himself or the football.  He generally makes good decisions when running but if he can simply clean up ball security there is absolutely NO reason to take these designed option plays out of the offense.

 

This is football in the 2020s, folks.

[UConn James]

On 9/15/2020 at 6:52 AM, MrEpsYtown said:

I think what we were seeing was more of a veer option. I think that is a weird choice in an NFL game. Great high school play, but you are truly lambing out the running back there. I like veer option for a guy like lamar jackson, who has that explosive speed out of the mesh. Josh takes a bit to get to the rpms, so a zone option makes more sense. Essentially, i say we saw veer option because there was a same side mesh with the back, whereas your zone option is a crossface mesh. I thought it was a strange choice. 

Josh’s mesh point is not nearly as clean / smooth as a number of other QBs and it seems like defenses can react to it faster.

[GunnerBill]

17 minutes ago, eball said:

Josh Allen is a dual threat.  Fans would do well to simply remember that.  His running is a weapon.  The ONLY problem I have with the read option calls is when Josh does not protect himself or the football.  He generally makes good decisions when running but if he can simply clean up ball security there is absolutely NO reason to take these designed option plays out of the offense.

 

This is football in the 2020s, folks.

 

Hear, hear.

[machine gun kelly]

15 minutes ago, eball said:

Josh Allen is a dual threat.  Fans would do well to simply remember that.  His running is a weapon.  The ONLY problem I have with the read option calls is when Josh does not protect himself or the football.  He generally makes good decisions when running but if he can simply clean up ball security there is absolutely NO reason to take these designed option plays out of the offense.

 

This is football in the 2020s, folks.

E-Man, I don’t see Josh not protecting himself meaning he does run out of bounds and slides better with each year, but he still is not protecting the ball.  You don’t extend you’re arm for any reason when deciding to run.  Keep it tucked and against you’re ribs from the inside of the elbow.  If expecting (which he should always expect) it to get punched, you place the other hand on the ball.  Remember his only significant injury was against the elbow in the pocket in year 1.

 

It worked week 1 against the Dolphins, but juxtapose Allen to Newton him piling into defenders.  Personally, as much as I don’t want a significant injury to Newton, he is going to get banged up fast if he keeps running this type of style.  You would think he would have learned with all of his injuries.  Heck, look at Wentz.  It doesn’t matter how big you are, the defenders are paid to hurt the offensive ball carrier.  I didn’t mean injure, I mean take them to the ground as legally hard as they can do it.

 

A big part of Allen’s game is the threat of the run.  I love it, but the RB coach needs to work with him on how to manage the ball if he wants to have the run as part of our game.

One last example, look at what Murray did against the 49ers.  The 49ers have a stout defense and Murray torched them.

[Kirby Jackson]

8 hours ago, LB48 said:

I bet Yeldon can get to the edge.

And he never plays so it has to be Josh. With the roster that the Bills have, Josh Allen absolutely has to run some read option to spread the field horizontally. The only other thing that does that is the McKenzie jet sweeps. He may have to play a little more for that same reason. You have to at least have the threat of getting to the edge and turning it up.

 

FWIW, that’s why I was in favor of more of a speed back coming out than I was of Moss. It’s not a knock on Moss as a player it’s just a skill set that is different from Motor.