Not sure who all has been following the fallout of the Ravens/Eagles preseason game this past weekend but it has a chance to set some real precedence regarding the read option, both in the pros and in college. For those how haven't paid attention, Sam Bradford ran what appeared to be the read option, but handed off to the RB. However, Terrell Suggs was instructed to hit Bradford whether he kept the ball or not, just like many of us on this board have been screaming for the defense to do for years.
Initially, Suggs was flagged for a 15 yard "rouging the passer" penalty and it was enforced during the game. After the game Chip Kelly and some of the Eagle players were calling Suggs a dirty player and said his hit was classless. However, upon review the head of the NFL officials said the hit was legal and should not have been a penalty! Bradford never established himself as a passer and therefore was a live player who could have had the ball. That my friends is HUGE!!
Chip was trying to say it wasn't a read option because in the huddle it wasn't called a read option and Bradford was never going to keep the ball therefore he should be protected. But the NFL is seeing right through that because even if it's a straight hand-off there is still the intended deception that Bradford might keep it, and he does NOTHING to change that deception and give himself up as a QB handing the ball off. If this holds up in the NFL you can bet it's the end of the read option in the pros, as every team will be pinning their ears back waiting to knock the snot out of the defenseless QB on every play and no one is going to put their QB at that risk. If that's the case in the pros, it's almost assured it will finally trickle down to the college game as well. Putting your QB at risk on every play just won't be worth it.
This could be game changing!! Now, it's possible the league gets together and "alters" the rules to protect the QB, specifically targeting the read option. But unless they do that, the read option could become a passing fad sooner than anyone thought possible.
Initially, Suggs was flagged for a 15 yard "rouging the passer" penalty and it was enforced during the game. After the game Chip Kelly and some of the Eagle players were calling Suggs a dirty player and said his hit was classless. However, upon review the head of the NFL officials said the hit was legal and should not have been a penalty! Bradford never established himself as a passer and therefore was a live player who could have had the ball. That my friends is HUGE!!
Chip was trying to say it wasn't a read option because in the huddle it wasn't called a read option and Bradford was never going to keep the ball therefore he should be protected. But the NFL is seeing right through that because even if it's a straight hand-off there is still the intended deception that Bradford might keep it, and he does NOTHING to change that deception and give himself up as a QB handing the ball off. If this holds up in the NFL you can bet it's the end of the read option in the pros, as every team will be pinning their ears back waiting to knock the snot out of the defenseless QB on every play and no one is going to put their QB at that risk. If that's the case in the pros, it's almost assured it will finally trickle down to the college game as well. Putting your QB at risk on every play just won't be worth it.
This could be game changing!! Now, it's possible the league gets together and "alters" the rules to protect the QB, specifically targeting the read option. But unless they do that, the read option could become a passing fad sooner than anyone thought possible.
