Equipment Needed
- Football
Build out your practice kit
This drill just needs a football and a defender to read, but a basic coaching-aid kit keeps the rest of practice running smoothly.
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- Set up a run play with a bubble or slant route tagged to one side; identify the specific defender the quarterback will read.
- A running back and a receiver on the RPO route complete the personnel.
Instructions
- On the snap, the quarterback opens for the mesh point while reading the designated defender's movement.
- If the defender crashes toward the run, the quarterback pulls the ball and throws the tagged route.
- If the defender stays home on the pass option, the quarterback hands the ball off for the run.
- Repeat with the read defender varying their behavior so the quarterback can't predict the outcome.
Coaching Points
- The quarterback's eyes stay on the read defender through the mesh point — watching the running back or receiver too early defeats the read.
- This decision has to happen fast; a hesitant quarterback ends up with neither a clean handoff nor a clean throw.
- The running back should run their track fully regardless of the read, since a late pull still needs to look like a live running play.
- Walk through both outcomes slowly before adding a defender who actually varies their behavior to create a real, live read.
Variation
Add a second read defender for a more complex triple-option-style decision, or run it live with a full defense to test the read under real game speed.