Help with Option

Ryan Adams

"Option on me" essentially allows for the quarterback to make a read, and adjustment based off of what the defense does. He has three options; inside veer, midline, or load. This way, when the option is called, the quarterback can call one of those three adjustments that would allow your team the most success based off of numbers. This allows for the offense to put all the pressure on the defense and makes it easier when you want to run hurry-up offense.



Giving your quarterback the ability and freedom to call best option on the line of scrimmage can be a risky thing to do, but one I think is necessary. Ideally, the quarterback should be the smartest player on the field, and one of the most athletic when running the option system. The pros of this allows for your offense to go faster, allows for your player/leader to analyze what the defense is doing, and allows him to make adjustments when necessary. A coach can see and do a lot of different things on the sideline or from the booth, but the bottom line is that they aren't the ones out there playing. A player can see something way different than what a coach can see, and since they are the ones playing, you may have to give them that freedom and let them lead the tea.



However, at the high school level mainly, they are still teenagers. The majority of high schoolers don't put in the time to gain the knowledge necessary to be able to do those types of things. So, with your quarterback being a teenager, he may get greedy or read something wrong in a crucial situation where you may have been better off calling it yourself since the coach is putting in the time and should be knowledgeable. Although, one can easily argue that it is up to the coach to make sure your player is ready to do those things.



I am a firm believer in allowing your players and leaders to take ownership and have freedoms within your team. It allows for more buy-in and makes it more enjoyable for the kids. This is a fine line though. I also believe that as a coaching staff you need to make sure your players are ready to take the leadership role and freedoms before giving it to them.