I was rewatching some of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings and wanted to make a quick note of how the misdirection from the triple option can fool opposing defenses.
This play began with 6:06 left to play in the first half against a very solid Minnesota defense.
Clearly we all know Robert Griffin III is the straw that stirs the Redskins’ drink. Here is visual evidence that shows how his amazing athletic ability helps fool one of the better defenses in the league. This is what happens when you have the right pieces involved along with the ability to mislead based off of that talent.
1. The play starts out with the Vikings in a base 4-3 defense.
2. For now, the playing field is even. All the defenders are looking at just the location of the ball, not one player in particular.
3. Below you can see cornerback Antoine Winfield (#26) and linebacker Jasper Brinkley (#54) make it almost all the way to the line of scrimmage without even noticing Morris approaching the line with the ball.
4. Morris is now already bursting through the line with the ball.
5. This results in a running back’s dream: open space. Big blocks by center Will Montgomery and tackle Trent Williams are key to this play.
6. By the time the Vikings defensive front noticed, it’s already too late and Morris has 15 more yards under his belt.
