Hoya Staff Writer Friday, September 1, 2006

The book “Offensive Football Strategies” by the American Football Coaches Association, considers running the option a risky endeavor. Option theory operates entirely on the assumption that “the defense cannot be right,” writes Eddie Crowder, Oklahoma’s all-American quarterback of the 1950s. And proper execution is so essential that “the most important factor is the elimination of the self-defeating error.” Crowder was a coaching legend at Colorado for a decade, and his NCAA affiliation is telling: The Option has never made much of a name for itself in the NFL. Professional defenses are so capable and a quarterback’s safety is so prized that it is difficult to run the option without encountering unbearable costs. Indeed, the play puts a lot of pressure on the defensive line and a ton of pressure on the quarterback. But it’s exciting, it’s fan-friendly and it can deliver the results, especially with a quarterback capable of thinking on (and off) his feet. But what exactly is it? The Option, a mystery to many sports fans, is a flexible play that allows the quarterback to exercise extensive control of the running attack. He takes the snap and, dodging defenders, must make one of three decisions. Option One: With one of his running backs charging to the line of scrimmage and the other running parallel, the quarterback motions to his fullback and looks deep into the eyes of the defender before him. This is called the “dive read” – if the defender fails to charge, the ball goes to the fullback. Option Two: So the defender charges. Well, turns out the fullback thing was a fake. The ball stays put. Or maybe you never ran Option One in the first place, preferring the “double option” to the “triple option” like some offenses do. One way or another, the quarterback has the ball, and now he runs alongside the other running back, looking deep into the eyes of the “pitch read” defender before him. The decision now: To pitch or not to pitch? Option Three: If the running back leaves more room for the quarterback than for the running back, the QB will sweep upfield with the ball. In some cases, the pitch is faked, and the quarterback drops into the pocket to pass. The pitch is perhaps the most dangerous part of running the option, as it is particularly susceptible to interception if the quarterback makes the wrong last-second decision. But on the whole, the option proves relatively confusing for opposing defenses, and some offenses – like Navy, Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly’s last home – rely on that confusion for their entire attack scheme. Quarterbacks, of course, like it too. It may be a lot for them to think about, but what quarterback wouldn’t want to? “It’s fun. It is. You can tell any quarterback wants the ball in their hands. That’s why most kids play quarterback,” says Georgetown senior quarterback Nick Cangelosi, last year’s starter. “So when you have the ability to not only have the football in your hands and throw it, and you’re running the ball, it makes you – it’s definitely a good offense to be a part of when you’re the quarterback.” Utah’s Alex Smith, currently of the San Francisco 49ers, would probably be inclined to agree. Under Head Coach Urban Meyer and his innovative interpretation of the Option, Smith led the Utes to a 12-0 season in 2004 and a 35-7 victory over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl. Meyer, who now coaches at Florida, was praised for his “spread option offense,” which cunningly combines the classical Option with the typically pass-friendly shotgun formation. (The option usually relies on an I-formation offense for its ability to attack from the left or the right.) But the most celebrated manifestation of the Option’s offensive endowment may well have come back in November 1976, in an innocent-looking game between No. 11 Notre Dame and lowly Georgia Tech, who had previously lost 31-7 to Duke. After sacking the home team’s quarterback early in the game, the Irish “jumped up and started strutting around, like they always do when they sack somebody,” Yellow Jackets Head Coach Pepper Rodgers told the Associated Press. “I turned to one of my coaches and said, `I’ll tell you this. We may not win this game, but that’s the last time they’re going to strut on our field. From this point on, they’re going to play against the Option.'” Rodgers meant it. He didn’t just instruct his offense to rely less often on the passing game, or to let the running backs see some more action. Rather, he had his team attempt a total of zero passes for the rest of the contest – and rallied from a 14-3 deficit to win by nine. For the rest of the game, while Georgia Tech wasn’t passing, Notre Dame wasn’t scoring. As for the touchdown that put the Yellow Jackets ahead, it concluded a possession of 15 plays, 66 yards, and seven minutes. “When you look back in history,” Rodgers said in the same Associated Press Story, “that’s got to be one of the most unusual wins ever.” Chances are that Georgetown will see its fair share of the Option this season. Navy, during Kelly’s stint as special teams coordinator, ran it to perfection, and as Kelly notes, “you’re gonna see a lot of Navy out there on the field.”That’s what Coach brought us, the same offense he did over at Navy, the Option,” senior offensive lineman Liam Grubb says. “The quarterbacks like it a lot [and] we’re seven-deep on quarterbacks, probably our strongest position. . The Option’s just really fun. It’s a fun game. The fans, I hope they’ll like it. You know, score a lot of points this year.” The prospect of more points in 2006-07 seems likely, as the option is well-tailored to Georgetown’s young offensive line. “That’s what the option does. It puts less pressure on them,” says Cangelosi. “It gives the running back [the chance] to get away from the line and get on the cornerback and the outside linebackers.” As for Georgetown’s chances of beating Notre Dame, well, don’t count on it. But Kelly and his troops might very well manage a few shockers if they can successfully live by that one vital principle: As long as the offense has more places to move than the defense, the offense always wins.