Dominate the Super Bowl

Here, it's necessary to explain, what is the Read Option Offense?

First, the Read Option and Read Defense are two different things.

Read Defense is the job every quarterback has to complete before the snap, like Peyton Manning, a top strategic master, can often break down the opponent's tactics by reading the defense and temporarily modify his tactics ten or fifteen seconds before the snap, thereby creating passing opportunities for himself.

This action occurs before the snap.

But the Read Option occurs after the snap.

The so-called Read Option means the quarterback, by closely watching the movements of the opposing linebackers after the snap, decides his offensive strategy in a flash:

If the linebacker covers the running back, then the quarterback will carry the ball and advance on the ground himself.

If the linebacker covers the quarterback, then the quarterback will hand the football to the running back, who will then advance on the ground.

Additionally, there's a special situation; if the quarterback chooses to carry the ball but discovers that the opposing Defensive group has concentrated its forces in the short pass area, often the midfield and backfield will be relatively empty, and the quarterback can still choose to pass, temporarily finding a reception point to complete the advance with a medium to long pass.

Simply put, the "Read Option" is actually about reading the linebacker's options to formulate an offensive strategy.

This tactic is only applicable to the new generation of mobile quarterbacks—

It capitalizes on the strengths and avoids the weaknesses, sidestepping the quarterback's weak Read Defense capability, and uses the quarterback's own athletic talents to make choices after the snap based on the situation.

Overall, this tactic is very rough and very aggressive, extremely common in the NCAA, but scorned in the Professional League.

Not until Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, and Russell Wilson, the four top new generation mobile quarterbacks, entered the league did the Read Option Offense begin to flourish in the NFL.

Last season, Newton's Read Option Offense was very successful, even earning him the regular season MVP honors.

But the prowess of the Professional League lies in its complex tactics; coaches are always able to devise ways to counter them, and in the Super Bowl, the Denver Broncos relied on linebacker Von Miller and the Defensive line's exceptional performance to completely cut off Newton's Read Option Offense, ultimately becoming Super Bowl Champions.

Of course, in the college games, as opposed to the complicated tactics, relying on physical fitness and innate ability is still mainstream, and the Read Option Offense remains a puzzle—

From Lamar Jackson to DeShaun Watson to Baker Mayfield, all current Heisman Trophy front runners are mobile quarterbacks, and the Read Option Offense is a very important part of their games, with Jackson, who has the best physical fitness, undoubtedly being the most formidable.

Hertz, the starting quarterback for Crimson Tide Storm, is also a mobile quarterback.

Although Saban doesn't favor the Read Option Offense and is quite traditional, his updates to offensive tactics slightly lag behind the times; however, occasionally, Saban is willing to use Read Option Offense to change the pace and enrich the offensive tactics, not because he is ignorant of them.

Today, in the first half of the game, Crimson Tide Storm's offense continuously hit a wall, and Saban used the Read Option Offense; moreover, more than once.

But the results were not good.

The fundamental reason lies with Adams.

As the last line of the three-tier blockade covering Li Wei, Adams fully utilized his capabilities, appearing unpredictably in different positions. Even if Hertz chose the Read Option Offense, Adams and the other two linemen could embrace Hertz without any worries.

After all, Li Wei always had Riley and Beckwith guarding him. Stay tuned with empire

The "Read Option" reads the movements of linemen, but Adams, playing as a Safety, disrupted Crimson Tide Storm's offensive strategy.

Orgeron, the new head coach of the Louisiana State University Tigers, was able to completely revitalize the team's defense in just three games, really showing his skill.

Now, Li Wei wasn't ready to challenge Orgeron's defensive strategy.

For one, he wasn't the head coach, not responsible for laying out tactics.

Secondly, he wasn't a quarterback, not responsible for adjusting tactics on the field.

Li Wei was confident, but not arrogant. He did not believe his tactical layout was superior; however, he might bring some inspiration.

"If it's a read option, after the snap, you need to step back, observe, make a judgment, and then decide. Adams will notice," he said.

"But this is not a read option. Before the snap, we've already decided to run the ball. You'll feint a pass but actually hand off the football to me," he explained.

"I become the decoy, drawing attention while you rely on your running abilities to create space and advance," he added.

Simply put, it was a double running back tactic.

Initially posing as if going for a running play, but making the opponent lose judgment, unclear on who would actually carry the ball.

And the hidden surprise here was the identity of the second running back.

It wasn't a read option offense, yet it fully utilized the power of the read option offense, tailored against Louisiana State University's defensive strategy, making full use of Hertz's running capabilities and employing Li Wei as a decoy to demonstrate Crimson Tide Storm's profound strength in ground offense.

Of course, Li Wei had his own calculations.

After all, football is a team sport. It's impractical for him to carry the whole team forward alone, at least not at this stage.

He needed to get Hertz involved and to bring creativity to their ground offense.

"Hey, Shorty," he called out.

This was Li Wei's nickname for Hertz, who wasn't actually short at 6.1 feet (185 cm), the same height as Li Wei, but for a quarterback, it was slightly on the shorter side.

In the game, once the ball was snapped, the offensive line and defensive line collided like grinders, and the quarterback needed to navigate around barriers to control the field. Vision was crucial; otherwise, finding a passing target was impossible.

At 6.1 feet, he wasn't short, but it still wasn't enough.

In the NFL, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, at 6 feet (183 cm), was one of the few shorter quarterbacks who still managed to create miracles and achieve brilliance, his read defense and passing accuracy, among other skills, were top-notch.

Hertz, clearly, did not yet possess the abilities of Brees.

"I'm not prepared to replace the coach and tell you what to do, nor am I prepared to replace your job and make decisions. I'm just reminding you not to forget your abilities," he said.

"Brain. Right hand. Legs," he listed.

"We need all of them working to stand a chance against the iron wall in front of us, you got that?" he said.

Li Wei knew that a quarterback and running back's roles were different, as were their ways of thinking and responding. He couldn't make decisions for Hertz, but importantly, he and Hertz were fighting shoulder to shoulder; they should be each other's support.

Hertz's thoughts finally cleared, he took a deep breath, and nodded firmly at Li Wei.

Li Wei bumped Hertz's shoulder with his own, "Roar."

It wasn't a scream, nor was it a release, but this simple phrase reignited the Crimson Tide Storm within their blood.

First down, ten yards.

Hertz, through the headset, carefully communicated his thoughts to Saban—

Saban's eyes lit up slightly, giving Hertz a look but focused more on Li Wei, flashing a hint of surprise.

His shoulders widened slightly:

This kid is growing faster than he thought.