GUN OPTION VS. UNDER CENTER

[tripleoption61]

How many of you guys use to run under center and now have switched? What are the advantages running it in gun? I am not familiar with it from gun but would like to know more about it.

[midsfan]

We run a Spread Option Scheme (think Wake Forest meets Navy). I think that the mesh read is easier out of gun. There also is some talk that the chances of a turnover are less and playaction is a little more effective. Personally, I think it depends on your personel. About 6 one way, half a dozen the other.

[bkoption]

We are going to run more Option out of the gun this year only because we are planning to throw much more and would like to utilize the same base looks for the run and pass game. As for advatages and disadvatages, I'll give my 2 cents in december! The other thing we are moving towords is the 2 point stance for our OL. maybe all , maybe just the tackles. Do any of you have experience with the 2 point stance? It seems to be going well but I don't have any past years or past O-Lines to compare it to.

[jhanawa]

We used to be exclusively under center, now we are almost all gun. It's just easier and much more diverse in what we can do from the gun versus under center. It's hard to explain until you jump in and do it. I understand the reluctance of under center guys to switch, we were under center for 10 years before we went to some gun. In hindsight, I wish I'd done it much earlier.
We have switched to OT's up in a 2pt now because they are always reaching or downblocking rather than driveblocking, just makes sense to us that they can get off easier and are in a better position to reach or pass protect.

[duece]

We went exclusively to the gun for one reason, the mesh is easier to teach. I've had qb's in the past few years who have done a terrible job of reading and meshing on our read triple option play out of the gun, and put up over 300 yds. on the ground in the same game. It allows us to put more time into complimentary plays and the passing game. I spend 1/2 the time repping the triple option mesh now, than I did when I was flexbone under center, yet the triple option is our top running play. You can also remove the motion tendancy easier out of the gun than you can under center. We run to a slot a lot of times and have them backpeddle into pitch relationship rather than motioning a slot to the backfield. The biggest issue to get down is the snap from center, but IMO that takes WAY less time to perfect than the mesh does from under center. Again, just MHO though.

Duece

[mikeervin]

The reason we have gone to the gun was we thought it would help our line and QB. It has worked out very well because our QB has an easier time reading his keys. We have run the gun for two years now and have had good success.

[coachkell]

Though we weren't an option team, we did experimant with it both from the gun and under center...in our experience, though the mesh was easier to teach , we founf the QB more succeptable to stunts by the defense, basically he kept losing the dive key. More often that not, we wound up woth a loss. Under center we did much better ....just my 2

[td4tc]

switched to GUN after UC for years after attending DEMEO clinic.ending up being a beautiful thing.gotta forget your UC principles.It's a totally different play out of GUN with different timing and aiming points etc. easier to teach mesh and read HOK IMHO.less head shots on QB.ability to cut back eliminates need for counters and traps.I'm sold...

[midlineqb]

The Gun Option helps vs. the blitzing defense. Gives the QB more time. It is also a much easier read for the QB; vision not cluttered up like it is under center.