Cardinals coach Bruce Arians doesn’t think the read-option is going to last in the NFL.
Arians’ team is preparing to face the Eagles, whose coach, Chip Kelly, was one of the masterminds of the read-option at Oregon. But in Philadelphia Kelly’s offense has been at its best with the immobile Nick Foles, and Arians says that’s because the read-option isn’t an NFL offense.
“The defensive coordinators in this league are too good. I think once they went and studied it . . . it’s still a great offense, a great college offense, when you put a great athlete back there,” Arians said, via PhillyMag.com. “But when you’re facing great athletes with the the speed that’s in the NFL and they’re chasing these guys, unless you’re superhuman, you’re gonna get hurt sooner or later. Or not hurt, but beat up and bruised up. You don’t want your quarterback feeling bruised up when he’s trying to throw and be accurate.”
Eagles center Jason Kelce did not agree with that assessment.
“I think it’s a great any-level offense, personally,” Kelce said. “I think anybody who doesn’t think it can be successful at this level is obviously mistaken.”
Michael Vick, however, said Arians had a point.
“There is merit to what he said,” Vick said. “A lot of coaches don’t want to put their players in harm’s way. You have to pick and choose your spots. [The read option is] primarily in this league for the running back, to get him on inside zone runs or outside zone runs, and if the defense crashes down you just pull it. You don’t see [quarterbacks] having 15,20 carries in the NFL.”
And now that Vick is out and Foles is the Eagles’ starter, you won’t see the quarterback running much at all in Philadelphia.