Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota exhibited last Sunday that the read-option can be an effective tool in an NFL offense.
Al Galdi declared to Logan Paulsen Wednesday, “Taylor Heinicke’s greatest physical attribute is his mobility. I have been so wanting the Commanders to better exploit Taylor’s mobility. Why don’t we see more read-option with Taylor? Why don’t we see him presented as a run threat more often?”
“I really don’t have a good answer for that”, replied Paulsen. “That’s something I have been calling for the last two seasons.”
“I think it does elevate what you do. My only thought about it is maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable with it.”
“They ran a little more zone-read against Minnesota for example. There are times he does not make the right read necessarily. The play is not as effective if you can’t read it effectively, right?”
“Mariota has a lot of reps in the tank in terms of running that play. You’re not getting that same level of proficiency from Taylor. So maybe it is, ‘We are good at these things. Let’s put more time and resources into being really good at these things. We don’t have time or energy to develop this other thing.”
“Though it could enhance their offense, I think people need to understand, in season you are on a truncated schedule. It’s hard to put new stuff in. So, that would be my only thought. I don’t have any inside information on that. I’m just kinda looking for an answer there.”
