Option football has popped into the National Football League. The recent addition of elusive quarterbacks like Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson have made the read option a serious weapon. The read option has flourished in college football for over seven decades. It's never had a sustained life in the NFL for a couple of reasons. Until recently there haven't been too many quarterbacks with the running ability to make it effective. More inportantly, no coach wants to put his quarterback in harms way on a consistent basis. Of the young, mobile quarterbacks in the league today, I think that the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson runs the option the best. He may not win a foot race against Newton, Kaepernick, or Griffin but he always seems to be fast enough on the football field. What truly sets him apart for me is his ball-handling, timing, and vision. He gashed the New Orleans Saints on Monday night whenever he pulled the ball back and ran. When he ran the path was wide open. Most importantly, there was never a risk to his continued health. This season, the Seahawks have risen to Super Bowl favorites. Much of that is due to the magic that Russell Wilson brings to the football field. His ability to run the read option makes the Seahawks a versatile, dangerous offense. Who's to blame for bringing the read option to football?
In 1941, Missouri football coach Don Faurot thought about his basketball past. Specifically, he thought about the 2-on-1 advantages often found on fast breaks. He thought that he could create similar advantages on the football field. His creation was the Split T formation. The T formation was all the rage in the football world at that time. The Chicago Bears had taken apart the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship game by the score of 73-0. Eyes were opened and single wing playbooks were scrapped. Faurot added his little twist on the T. The Split T relied on wider line splits between the offensive linemen. This spread out the defense. One or two defensive linemen would be left unblocked. The free rushing linemen would then be used as option keys. Like the fast break in basketball, the quarterback would keep the ball or pitch it depending on the actions of the free rushing lineman. As Russell Wilson found against the Saints, defenders were often helpless trying to deal with two potential ball carriers. It was a numbers game and Faurot had found a way win it. He led Missouri to three Big 6 Conference titles. During World War II, he coached the Iowa Pre-Flight football team. Two of his assistant coaches were Jim Tatum and Bud Wilkinson. Both coaches took the Split T with them after the War. Tatum was hired at Oklahoma with the condition that Wilkinson be his top assistant. Tatum left for Maryland after only one year. Wilkinson took over and created a dynasty at Oklahoma. Wilkinson, with Faurot's Split T, won a record 47 consecutive games, three National titles, and 14 Big 8 Conference titles. Tatum didn't do too badly at Maryland. He also won a National title as well as two ACC Conference titles. Those were the first two coaches to grab hold of Faurot's Split T option offense. So many would do the same. Some of the greatest teams and greatest coaches in college football history have used the option in some form. The veer, wishbone, flexbone, I formation option, the pistol, and the spread option offenses of today have all evolved from Don Faurot's Split T. It's been a staple in college football since Faurot brought a part of basketball onto the football field. Now, it's popping up in the National Football League.
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