Grantland: How the Ravens Will Try to Contain Colin Kaepernick...

[dwmyers]

Chris Brown and another excellent article on San Francisco's Pistol, and how Balt might stop/slow it down..

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...-49ers-offense

Excerpt:

The first mistake is assuming that the read option is some cutesy trick. This line of thinking implies that stopping is just a matter of stumbling onto a magic bullet. As these playoffs have shown, that is simply not the case. There is no simple solution to a two-on-one fast break, and particularly not when the point player is as preternaturally gifted as Colin Kaepernick.

This isn’t to say that the Pistol is indefensible, but to properly defend it, it’s important to understand what it is — nothing more than a sound football concept. Failing to deal with these plays on their own terms leads to a quarterback rushing for 181 yards in a playoff game and making an NFL defense with a veteran coordinator look like a bad high school team:

[SkinsHokieFan]

This is a must read article. Chris Brown has done a great job on his blog the past few years talking about the brilliance of the pistol being married with the read option

The first mistake is assuming that the read option is some cutesy trick. This line of thinking implies that stopping is just a matter of stumbling onto a magic bullet. As these playoffs have shown, that is simply not the case. There is no simple solution to a two-on-one fast break, and particularly not when the point player is as preternaturally gifted as Colin Kaepernick.

This is why the Panthers, Redskins, 49ers, and Seahawks will continue to run elements of this and have success with it over the next few years

[InmanRoshi]

My issue about the "pistols" long term success is with this...

Atlanta elected to have their defensive ends sit and wait for Kaepernick on these types of plays, forcing him to hand the ball to Frank Gore. Some claimed that this “solved” the read option because Kaepernick was limited to 21 yards rushing. What it really did was allow Kaepernick, who has likely never blocked anyone in his life, to "block" John Abraham.

What's going to happen when defensive coaches spend the entire offseason drilling it into John Abraham's head that rather than allow himself to be passively "blocked" by Kaepernick's read to just charge the QB and obliterate him like a heat seeking missile. Yes, Kaepernick can then option off the to Gore, and perhaps the play result might be a nice gain, but after about 3-4 plays resulting in your QB having to be scraped off the turf with a snow shovel are you going to stick with it for the rest of the game?

[SkinsHokieFan]

Originally Posted by InmanRoshi

What's going to happen when defensive coaches spend the entire offseason drilling it into John Abraham's head that rather than allow himself to be passively "blocked" by Kaepernick's read to just charge the QB and obliterate him like a heat seeking missile. Yes, Kaepernick can then option off the to Gore, and perhaps the play result might be a nice gain, but after about 3-4 plays resulting in your QB having to be scraped off the turf with a snow shovel are you going to stick with it?

Thats what the Bengals did against the Redskins. Probably the one game where RG3 got hammered in the read option despite not having the ball.

The solution was simple. Once the ball was given to Morris, RG3 would simply circle back with his hands in the air, essentially saying "I don't have the ball"

DE's wouldn't touch him. From that point on his most vicious hits took place in the pocket on traditional passing plays

[Yakuza Rich]

I believe that the read option will become extinct in the next 3 to 4 years even with the pistol in the NFL. We have seen so many types of offensive schemes that promote a running QB and it gets figure out in the pros sooner or later. I think people underestimate how smart NFL coaches are from a schematic standpoint.

However, I think what we'll see is more pistol without the read option. It allows the QB to not have to operate under center and a better way for the running to run and to utilize play-action.





YR

[InmanRoshi]

Originally Posted by Yakuza Rich

I believe that the read option will become extinct in the next 3 to 4 years even with the pistol in the NFL. We have seen so many types of offensive schemes that promote a running QB and it gets figure out in the pros sooner or later. I think people underestimate how smart NFL coaches are from a schematic standpoint.

Also the amount of time NFL players put into film work and preperation. It's a far cry from college where NCAA limits coaches to only 20 hours a week with their players.

[Yakuza Rich]

I found an old post from last year where I discuss the detriments of the spread 'em out and pass the ball all over the place.

http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showpo...0&postcount=13

At the end, I discuss how teams need to have more of a balanced attack in order to save their defensive players from being on the filed so much for the season and getting injured come playoff time.

And that the coach that seems to have figured it out was....Jim Harbaugh.

That was when Alex Smith was the QB. And the Grantland article discusses Bill Walsh stating that there is no more innovative running schemes. I saw Harbaugh using innovative running plays last year. Although some of that was just going back to some old running plays like traps and wham blocks.

I just think that the running QB has never really lasted in this game. To win in the NFL, the QB has to beat teams consistently by throwing the ball in the pocket. If you get somebody like Steve Young, who could beat teams from the pocket, then outside the pocket with his arm and if all else fails run with his legs for a first down, you're getting the ideal situation IMO. But, if he's a designed runner, that usually gets figured out sooner or later.







YR

[Yakuza Rich]

Originally Posted by InmanRoshi

Also the amount of time NFL players put into film work and preperation. It's a far cry from college where NCAA limits coaches to only 20 hours a week with their players.

Sure.

But, I don't think most college coaches are nearly as talented and as smart as pro coaches. I remember Dr. Z writing an article about asking Bill Walsh (there's that name, again) about the differences in college coaching when he went back to Stanford.

Walsh said that years ago when he was in college coaching they would have coaching conferences and seminars and it would be almost all about coaching techniques, schemes, etc. When he came back to Stanford, those seminars and conferences were almost exclusively about recruiting.







YR