2024 Spring Practice

[IthacaMatt]

Play action is a pass the whole time. The QB isnt making a decision on if he hands it off or not...alway a pass. there isnt an OPTION. Which turns out to the the O...in RPO

And do you think the QB decides before or after the snap?

After the snap is an option. Before the snap is a read.

 

[Domedog84]

So wouldn't that be called a draw? Or probably just a QB scramble.

I was poking fun at all the odd interpretations of rpo in a thread where the information has been posted a couple times

 

[money3189]

Yes, I get it.

But how often does a QB actually make a real-time decision whether to hand-off vs. pass the ball? It's not like we're running the old freeze option, where the QB would stick the ball in the FB's gut, then pull it out and drop back to pass.

I think of what you're talking about as more of a live read by the QB prior to the snap - not a "true" option. If the box seems empty, hand off the ball, and if the D is stacked to stop the run, then fake the hand-off, pull it out and drop back to pass.

RPO, to me, is more like the old triple option - you can fake the dive, then run down the line of scrimmage and look at who commits to cover who, and then either pitch, pass or keep the ball.

Or, more commonly, if you think back to Dungy and Shrader, leave out the dive option, and the QB just rolls out and reads the coverage, then decides whether to pass or keep it and run.

Thats the triple RPO you are describing. That's specifcially designed for a mobile QB to stretch the field horizontally. Most RPO's are designed for the QB to stay in the pocket and give or throw.