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Step 1
Begin by choosing which type of option to run. The triple option, spread option and flexbone option are all different types of the option offense. For this article, I'll be writing about the basic spread option. This is where the there is a single running back standing next to the quarterback in the backfield. Where the tight end and wide receivers are aligned is dependent on which direction the option is being run.
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Step 2
Run the ball in the direction of where the tight end is lined up directly after taking the snap. The running back should stay behind the quarterback and off to the side, roughly one to two yards away from the quarterback. The tight end should begin the play as a blocker in the same manner that he would during play action. The wide receivers should pick up defenders for up to five yards before beginning to run a route.
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Step 3
Make a split-second decision on what to do with the football once the defense collapses the pocket. In a spread option such as the one used for an example in this article, the quarterback can toss the ball back to the running back, he can drop back and pass it to a receiver or the tight end or he can keep the ball and run for yardage.
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Step 4
Pretend to toss the ball back to the running back in order to fake out the defense if you decide to keep and ball and run for yardage. For a pitch back to the running back, the quarterback should lower himself and try to block at least one oncoming defender. If he decides to turn the option into a pass play, he should stop running about one yard before the line of scrimmage and drop a step or two back into a new makeshift pocket. The running back can pick up any defenders or go out and become a receiver.
