Hurt

Jim Harbaugh made the classic mistake generally associated with lawyers: Never ask a question unless you know you’re going to get the answer you want. Harbaugh probably should’ve shrugged off Clay Matthews’ chirping. Defensive players like to hit quarterbacks. Whether they’re dropping back, rolling out or running the read-option, defensive players will try their best to hit the quarterback. So, Clay Matthews said out loud what anyone who’s seen the read-option knows; you’ve got to put a hat on that QB. Jim Harbaugh harrumphed and The League responded; if a quarterback is running the football, they’ll be treated like running backs, not like quarterbacks standing in the pocket where they have little chance to protect themselves from shots to the knees or head.

 

Harbaugh characterized The League’s judgment as “flawed” and “biased” but the whole point of the read-option is to force a defensive player to choose between hitting the QB or the RB. If they can’t hit the QB as the fake is being carried out, the QB will always keep the football and run. Once he’s outside the pocket and crosses the line of scrimmage he’s fair game, of course, just like any of those pocket passers when they leave the pocket and cross the line of scrimmage but if that QB has the speed of a Colin Kaepernick or RG III he will certainly run farther than Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.

Harbaugh’s main point is the concern that The League is granting defensive players a free shot at his QB after he’s handed off the ball to the running back. Part of what makes the read-option effective is deception; the QB finishing the play as if he still has the football after it’s been given to the running back and occupying a defensive player who otherwise might turn chase down that runner. Harbaugh doesn’t want the defensive player taking a shot at his QB if he doesn’t have the ball but what is the defensive player reasonably supposed to do in that split second?

So, NFL defensive coordinators have spent the off-season studying the read-option and learned that they need to account for the quarterback. Not exactly rocket science but who said it was? That will mean an outside linebacker like Clay Matthews or a defensive end like Jason Pierre-Paul or a safety like Earl Thomas making sure the QB does not get outside for a big gain. And by “not getting outside” I mean they will attempt to hit the QB with sufficient force as to cause a fumble and/or provide a sufficient disincentive to continue running the football in their direction, mostly because they’re sitting on the bench trying to remember what a finger is so they can tell that blurry guy in front of them how many of those things he’s holding up.

This is, of course, essentially the same strategy defensive players employ against pocket passers, too.

There’s a reason why the NFL is a passing league and like most things in life, that reason is money. If your QB is a running QB, he’s more likely to have the career arc of a running back. Running backs have the shortest average career in the NFL; after punters and kickers, quarterbacks (of the pocket passer variety) have the longest. It’s hard to find a franchise quarterback. When you do find one, you’d like to maximize that investment.