With the proliferation of young, mobile quarterbacks who run the read-option, teams now have some interest in having quarterbacks on the roster who can run the formation for the scout team.
As explained by Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, the 49ers have a different plan for preparing to face Russell Wilson twice, Jake Locker, Cam Newton, and Robert Griffin III. They’ll use their first-team offense against their first-team defense more extensively this season.
“We didn’t waste our time [last year] working on it against our own offense with our first-team defense,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Friday, via Barrow. “This year we will, obviously. So it does help having an offense that knows how to run it.”
Every team need a plan for preparing to face the read option, even if they enter the season without an expectation of facing it. The offenses that don’t currently have a starter who could run it could choose to adopt it as the season unfolds, for reasons ranging from injury to the same kind of desperation that prompted the Dolphins to install the Wildcat out of the blue in 2008.