Gettleman not sold on read option

[Mr. Scot]

Having the read option as a wrinkle is fine, same as the wildcat. As a base offense, not so good.

As I've said before, the phrase "Newton's getting up slowly" was heard an awful lot as this past season drew to a close. He's not Superman, and if you want to see him here for as long as possible they're going to want to limit his running. The threat of it absolutely needs to be there so it can't be eliminated, but it needs to be used wisely.

Bottom line for all of it though? No matter what system is being run, this team absolutely needs to build the best offensive line possible.

Fail that task and the rest is meaningless.

[MadHatter]

The theory that 'hybrid' QBs can't succeed so they must turn them into pocket passers only is alarming to me when there is one in the superbowl. Mind you there are only 4 in the whole league. That's extremely successful. Now we have a GM telling THE Cam Newton that his talent is not valuable here in the NFL so we gonna get you kill like reid got Vick killed behind a bad OL is alarming. So they can turn around and say 'running QBs can't make it in the leauge'. So they can contitinue and draft their Clausons, Grossmans, Daltons, Lucks, etc. and do away with the Wilsons, Kaepernicks, Cams, Vicks, RG3s, etc. Just systematic bull crap.

Please just stop......you have no clue

[Proudiddy]

I liked some of the things Gettleman said in his presser... I was just happy we had a new GM with plenty of respected people to vouch for him.

But then when I hear stuff like this, it makes me concerned that it was another money hire and he is just serving as a placeholder for Beane aka Hurney 2.0. I just feel like our franchise has lost a unified sense of direction and that doesn't leave me feeling content to say the least.

Yes, I know what he said and he didn't say we're getting rid of it altogether. But he certainly isn't a fan and that will likely bleed over into gamedays. I would love to see Cam be able to drop back and sling it non-stop when he's ready to do so, which he may able to right now. I don't doubt what Cam can do one bit... My problem is the hires we've made seem random and lack a sense of direction.

[Montsta]

If we REALLY want to protect the quarterback, we'll install the single wing offense.

Won't a single wing just cause the offense to fly in circles?

[Marguide]

347 in the 1st half, 394 in the 2nd. He had more attempts in the 2nd half (68 vs. 59) and the YPC was pretty close (5.8 for 1st half, 5.7 for 2nd half).

What was being addressed were read option plays and the frequency of their use. It had nothing to do with how many rushing yards or attempts overall Newton had.

Now, if instead you were making the point that limiting the use of the read option did not hurt Cam's yardage, then I agree 100%.

[csx]

The option was never our base offense. It was a wrinkle that was used way too much.

[Montsta]

Having the read option as a wrinkle is fine, same as the wildcat. As a base offense, not so good.

As I've said before, the phrase "Newton's getting up slowly" was heard an awful lot as this past season drew to a close. He's not Superman, and if you want to see him here for as long as possible they're going to want to limit his running. The threat of it absolutely needs to be there so it can't be eliminated, but it needs to be used wisely.

Bottom line for all of it though? No matter what system is being run, this team absolutely needs to build the best offensive line possible.

Fail that task and the rest is meaningless.

Couldn't agree more. The teams that consistently make the playoffs and have a good offense typically have great olines. SF, NE, Baltimore, Indy, even NO. All have great guys up front.

[Marguide]

Thanks! I was just guessing off of what I saw re-watching the games (I usually keep them on DVR for at least 3 months after the season, with the exception of first ATL game. That game was deleted on that Sunday approximately 2 seconds after Bryant's field goal).

I honestly believe that the second half of the season we ran the read option from better personnel packages and our QB and O-Line executed it better. As far as the read option goes, those are the only two things that really changed.

The read option was not and is not the problem with this offense. It is execution.

I'll do a search later today and see if I can find the data I charted. This data has been presented a couple of times, it's just a matter of finding the threads or my written notes. But trust me, we ran the read option much more early in 2012 than we did last year, and ran it much less the 2nd half of 2012 than in the first half of 2012.

Just because yardage is similar doesn't mean that yardage came out of the read option.

[teeray]

Having the read option as a wrinkle is fine, same as the wildcat. As a base offense, not so good.

As I've said before, the phrase "Newton's getting up slowly" was heard an awful lot as this past season drew to a close. He's not Superman, and if you want to see him here for as long as possible they're going to want to limit his running. The threat of it absolutely needs to be there so it can't be eliminated, but it needs to be used wisely.

Bottom line for all of it though? No matter what system is being run, this team absolutely needs to build the best offensive line possible.

Fail that task and the rest is meaningless.

I really wish people would stop drawing the false parallel between the wildcat and the spread read option. It is like comparing a stealth bomber to a crop duster.

Newton usually "got up slowly" inside the pocket hitting his hands on helmets and getting his ankles rolled. Not while running the read option.

[teeray]

Won't a single wing just cause the offense to fly in circles?

[teeray]

I'll do a search later today and see if I can find the data I charted. This data has been presented a couple of times, it's just a matter of finding the threads or my written notes. But trust me, we ran the read option much more early in 2012 than we did last year, and ran it much less the 2nd half of 2012 than in the first half of 2012.

Just because yardage is similar doesn't mean that yardage came out of the read option.

Regardless of how much we ran it and didn't, we ran it better. It wasn't because we used it less, it is because we ran it better.

Now, of course you can't run anything all game long and get away from it. The fact that we ran it less could have been a by product of teams focusing on taking the read option away opening up other options like sweeps or power run plays off tackle or the passing game.

Using the read option is the threat that opens up the rest of the offense. Like someone said earlier, San Fran ran read option all day long and it opened up the rest of the offense and Kap only ran once or twice.

Sometimes as fans we get so bogged down in the minutia of all this stuff that we fail to see the bigger picture and how it all works together.

It isn't about sprinkling it in here and there, it is about using it when it is most advantageous and using it the threat of it to positively effect the rest of our offense as much as possible.

Using it just for sake of "sprinkling it in" is counter productive and useless. You use it when the defense is not in a position to stop it. Whether that is 15 times in a game or twice a game. But it all has to flow cohesively.

[FootballMaestro]

@Marguide

We don't even have to research it. Rivera admitted the focus of the option (and getting away from what they did in 2011) to Albert Breer of NFL.com. Here he says:

The coaches spent much of the summer trying to diversify their option package, in an effort to stay a step ahead. However, after that rough start, they decided to revert to what they'd done well in 2011 in those looks, which helped Newton play faster. By taking some things off of Newton's plate, offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and quarterbacks coach Mike Shula could focus on quickening Newton's decision-making and refining his footwork.

So they did focus on the "option". And they did before the season even started (to "stay a step ahead", can you believe that), and it showed!...The 'taking stuff off his plate' quote, was a direct reference to the read option and Cam's dual decision making both for the run and pass offense (along with some of the Wide receiver motion on those sets). It had nothing to do with simplifying the passing scheme or Cam's intelligence. It's about the Read Option and some of Chud's funky play calling--which ironically, Steve Smith commented/confirmed while on WFNZ radio recently.

Needless to say, Rivera and Chud didn't have a Come To Jesus Moment/Gain any sense about the offense, till Hurney was fired. Rivera says it here, in the same article.

Rivera and his staff, for their part, adjusted as well. The second-year coach is willing to concede that Hurney's dismissal put everyone on notice -- "That kinda put it out there how it was gonna be, and now people here look at it and say, 'If things go wrong, if it can happen to Marty, it can happen to anyone,' " he said -- and helped ratchet up the urgency.

There it is from the horses mouth. And I know it's not that simple (cause other things were involved than just the Read "Option" offense). But that was a big part of it. Here's the link.

http://www.nfl.com/n...hers-coach-says

[rayzor]

Reid had the same great idea for Vick too. How come Caroll and Harbaugh don't have those great plans for their QB but rather do wha't best to WIN. That offense should be runned around the strength of Cam. No such thing as balance. Tell that to the Patriots and Packers. My bad, I forgot this was about the Panthers. Cam would look great in Chip Kelly's offense in philadelphia. 2 more years Cam.

ugh.

one of his strengths is as a pocket passer. he's got an incredible arm in addition to being a great runner. and again, no one is saying eliminate it...add to it. allow . him to be the true versatile QB, the true DUAL THREAT QB he can be, wants to be, and should be. a complete QB.

you limit him to being a read option QB and you stunt his growth as much as if you were trying to make him just a pocket passer or game manager.

do you think he wants to be labeled as a read option QB? if you think thats the case you're being dumb.

no one wants to take away the read option. they want to provide more options for cam and this offense. you limit it and you make this offense easier to figure out and stop. i don't care what hole you're trying to put him in, read option...pocket passer...that hole is going to end up burying his potential and eventually his career. the more versatile you make...the more versatile you ALLOW him to be, the greater he becomes.

[panthers55]

Cam's short yardage work exposes him much more than his read option work....

RGIII is a poor example of why you shouldn't use it, b/c he has always been a magnet for contact (was a Baylor). Plus, he is built like a slim WR.

Pick any read option guy you want. Gettleman is a more traditionalist and will return to more of a power running attack and passing attack similar to what we ran over the past 8 weeks only more traditional. For better or worse the quirky offenses and exposing the QB to harm are largely over. Cam is going to be protected whether he wants to or not. Most of his running will be on busted plays and to avoid sacks not designed runs.