re: A mobile QB is better for the RPO

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Also the whole thing is more versatile if the QB is a threat to run.

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You don’t say!!!!

Tom Brady doesn’t run the RPO well?

What kind of threat is a RPO without a QB who can run

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A mobile QB is better for the RPO

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Water is wet but I don’t go starting threads about it.

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The one read RPO is what the VAST majority of teams run because it’s an easy play that doesn’t take long to develop

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Yeah if your QB is running a lot after the one read he's probably making mistakes

This. A triple option play with two run options requires an athletic OL that can move fast and hit multiple blocks both up front and then sealing the edge on the side the QB will head to. The WRs also have to be very good blockers at the far edge for the QB to get to the outside after a dive fake inside. And they have to know to not block downfield until the QB doesn’t pass, or it’s an auto hold if the refs are paying attention.

Most people watching probably don’t realize that a QB run after he pulls it rather than throwing on a one read RPO isn’t design- it’s just another scramble.

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It’s nice if you have a mobile QB who can create something if the one read RPO breaks down, but that’s no different than any other busted play.

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I was about to say the exact same thing. A mobile QB doesn’t help the RPO game any more than it helps any other busted play.

As for “triple option RPOs” (as in RPOs with a designed QB run option), I’m sure they exist in some form but that’s absolutely not the norm. The whole point of RPO is to bait defenders then quickly punish them. If you give them time to reset, it really diminishes the value.

To be honest I don’t think we even run much RPO. I’ve seen a few of them but nowhere near as much as true “RPO teams” like Alabama.

The “R” part of RPO does not refer to the QB running. This is the part that most do not understand. The R refers to the hand off to the RB. You definitely do not need a running QB to run an RPO successfully, but you do need one to run a Zone read successfully (which is similar but not the same thing).

All things being equal, a QB who can run is better than one who can’t. That’s obvious, and no one disagrees with it. So, while true, it’s also trivial.

The disagreement you are trying to wade into is over the necessity of a running QB for the RPO. It is not necessary. And it’s better to have one who can throw well than run well.