#109 | SimFBA | Scheme Changes: Part 3 (New Offensive Plays)

[Rocketcan]

Hello Coaches!

Welcome to another Dev Diary for NewSim on SimFBA! We are continuing our series on the upcoming changes to the simulation engine regarding schemes. This dev diary will focus on the new offensive plays being added to the engine.

Option Runs

For a long time I have wanted to do option plays for the sim, but simply haven’t been able to. We have been abstracting that away with pre-called plays where QBs can keep the ball themselves. No longer!

This season, you can call plays that have the QB actually read the defense to determine whether to keep or hand off the ball. In fact, there will be several forms of option plays!

Read Option

This is the most common form of option play run all the way from youth ball to the NFL. In the read option, most of the offense will be executing a run to one side of the field. However, they will leave the last man on the line of scrimmage unblocked. If this defender looks like he will chase the RB, the QB will keep the ball and attempt to get outside of this “crashing” defender. If the defender “stays home” (does not take the bait and chase the RB) then the QB will hand the ball off like normal. This puts stress on the defense even on the handoff, because usually that means the defense now effectively has one less defender to defend against the RB.

Here is an example. The first play the QB gives the handoff. The second play he keeps it.

For our purposes, Read Option will either be called to the left, or to the right. If called to the left, the play will either be a handoff to the RB on an inside run to the left, or the QB will keep it on an inside run to the right (read option right will flip which side the RB and QB go to). This means that good inside running RBs, and agile QBs will do well on this play.

Speed Option

This type of option play is similar to, but slightly different than the read option. Instead of going to two separate sides, this play has both QB and RB heading toward the outside on the same side. The QB will read the first unblocked defender. If the defender goes after the QB, the QB will pitch the ball to the RB. If the defender goes after the RB, the QB will keep it.

Here is an example where the QB pitches it:

And here is an example where the QB keeps it:

In the sim, Speed Option Left will have the QB on an outside run to the left. If he makes the read to pitch it, then it will become an outside run to the left with the RB instead. Thus, agile players at QB and RB will be important.

Inverted Option

There are a few different names for this type of option, so to just simplify I will call it Inverted Option. The “inverted” part comes from how the RB will run the outside track, while the QB will run the inside track, rather than the other way around like in Read Option.

Here is an example of the handoff to the RB:

Here is an example of the QB Keep: 

For the sim, Inverted Option Left will choose between an outside run left with the RB, or an inside run left with the QB (With Inverted Option Right having both players go to the right). So now big and strong QBs and agile RBs will be preferred.

Triple Option

Option teams everywhere, rejoice! The pinnacle of option football, the Triple Option, will be in NewSim for the 2024 season! This is one of the most complex plays in football, and as a result, one of the most complex to code. However, we think we have a handle on it!

The Triple Option, as the name implies, is built around the QB making a decision between 3 different points of attack. The traditional approach to this play requires the QB and two RBs (usually a FB and a HB). Basically, it is a combination of Read Option and Speed Option. In it, the QB will run to the playside and mesh with the FB who is running inside toward the playcall. The QB will then read whether to give the ball to the FB or keep it and continue on his track (many teams even make this a pre-snap read because it happens so fast and it makes the handoff more decisive). If the QB keeps, he then continues until he reaches the first unblocked defender, whom he also reads. If the unblocked defender goes after the QB, then the QB will pitch the ball to the RB. If the defender goes after the RB, the QB will keep it.

Here is an example of the traditional Triple Option with a FB Give:

And the QB Keep:

And the Pitch:

That isn’t the only way to run Triple Option, however. What if there is only 1 RB? As modern football moves away from two RB sets and to sets with more WRs, a different form of the triple option has come about. This newer form has a WR go in motion towards the middle of the formation. Once the WR is close, the ball is snapped and the WR and QB mesh with the WR running outside away from the playcall. The QB can hand the ball off to the WR here, but if he doesn’t, the QB next will continue with the option play as is traditional, with the RB being there for the pitch.

Here is a more modern example of the FB/HB give:

The QB Keep:

And the Pitch:

What Makes Option Special

There will be special effects based on how the defense decides to play the option. It won’t make much sense until we get to how to defend Option, however, so those effects will have to wait for the next dev diary.

The Play That Shall Not Be Named

That’s right. RPOs are here.

All those weeks added up, but we finally hit the end of it! RPOs will now be a valid playcall for users in NewSim!

In case you don’t know what an RPO is: an RPO (Run-Pass Option) is a play that allows the QB to decide between two different points of attack, just like an option run. But instead of the option being between different types of runs, the option is between a run or a pass.

The way that NewSim will handle RPOs is by breaking them down into two main categories: Pre-snap RPOs and Post-snap RPOs. Each of these types will be broken down further by what type of run play that will be run (Inside, Outside or Power).

Pre-snap RPOs

These RPOs are the safer of the two options because the QB does not have to rush and make the read on the fly. He just has to see how the defense lines up, and then makes the decision. Because it is a quick decision, these plays will always have a Quick Pass paired with a run (Inside, Outside or Power). Since this is safer, the only maluses that apply are that if a defense is setting up to stop the run and the QB correctly reads this and throws the pass, the defense will get the regular malus for committing to the run against a pass play, and vice versa.

Here is an example that shows the read the QB makes by counting the number of defenders in the box and how many defenders are covering the receivers:

Post-snap RPOs

This is the riskier of the two RPO options, but it also has bigger rewards. In this RPO, the QB reads how the defense reacts to the run action of the offense. If they “stay home” and don’t chase, the QB hands the ball off with the hope that the defense is now out of position to stop the run. If the defense plays the run, the QB pulls it and then throws a designated route that should be taking advantage of at least one particular player that the QB was reading being out of position. Because this read takes longer, these plays will always be runs (Inside, Outside, or Power) paired with a Short Pass, rather than quick.

Here is an example of a QB making a post-snap RPO read:

The effects for a correctly read Post-snap RPO are:

• If the defense reacts to the run, then whoever is assigned coverage to the intended receiver loses a whole tier of coverage ability.
• If the defense reacts to the pass, then the offensive line will receive a boost of one whole tier of run blocking ability.

However, the QB can always make the wrong read. If he does:

• And the defense is playing the pass, the defender will have their coverage ability increase a whole tier and have a higher chance for an interception.
• If the defense plays the run, then the offensive line will lose one whole tier of run blocking ability.

QB Reads

All of these plays being added are dependent upon the QB making the correct throws. All of these reads will be made using the QB’s Football IQ attribute. The exact influence has yet to be set in stone as this will likely need a *lot* of testing and balance work.

That is it for this dev diary. The next dev diary in this series will continue the scheme updates, specifically regarding some new defensive play options that will be available.

Until next time,

Rocketcan

 

EDIT: I forgot to mention that not all offensive schemes will be able to use all of these plays all of the time. The breakdown of that will come in a later dev diary.

[Wahoo]

On 11/8/2023 at 9:50 PM, Rocketcan said:

 

QB Reads

All of these plays being added are dependent upon the QB making the correct throws. All of these reads will be made using the QB’s Football IQ attribute. The exact influence has yet to be set in stone as this will likely need a *lot* of testing and balance work.

 

@Rocketcan This was at the end of the article, seemingly in reference to the RPO bit right above as it mentions "QB making the correct throws". I want to confirm that Football IQ is used to make the correct read in both Options and RPOs? Trying to make the most of Coop's A Football IQ! 

[Rocketcan]

7 hours ago, Wahoo said:

@Rocketcan This was at the end of the article, seemingly in reference to the RPO bit right above as it mentions "QB making the correct throws". I want to confirm that Football IQ is used to make the correct read in both Options and RPOs? Trying to make the most of Coop's A Football IQ! 

Yes