Question. I have been around this game about a hundred years and the option to the short side of the field still gives me the willies. I get the opportunity created when numbers are in your favor, but, still get nervous when it is called. Anyone else the same way?
Yeah same here and I have no idea why coaches do that, but it seems to happen a lot. Go watch an Army, Navy or Georgia Tech game and they option to the short side of the field all the time.
My uneducated guess is that you're trying to put yourself at an advantage because you're most likely playing a defense that has fast guys on the edge. The more space you give those fast guys on defense (wide side of the field), the better chance they have at catching your QB/RB. Run it to the short side, make the field smaller before they can pick up speed?
Makes sense in my head.
I would also say you're making defense decide to commit earlier. There's a chance they choose wrong and you spring something. Less time to view the play developing ... better chance they panic and make mistake.
It's predictable to always run option to wide side ... which is probably why you like it bcat2, 😉😉😉
Because the option is a north-south play. If you can get a guaranteed 3-5 yards, you take it, and that means getting to the keyed defensive player and then turning up field fast. If executed properly, short or wide side shouldn't matter.
But execution is the problem. Too many players rely on athleticism, thinking it will help them beat the keyed defensive player for a big gain. So they run it too far horizontally. But the more the players run east-west, the more time the defense has to react and put more players in the zone. More defensive players on the short side means less space to work, which is why, as executed, the wide side option frequently is more effective. It's just a matter of spacing.
One thing I think Rourke does REALLY well is turning up field as soon as he sees a window. He'll take the 3-5 yards if you give it to him--but he's also really good at making the first defender or two miss. And that makes a lot of those 3-5 yard runs 10-15+ yard runs.