Redskins Add Another Triple Option Wrinkle To Offense

Who would have thought the Redskins would come out of their bye week 3-0 given they had to play all three division opponents back to back? Oh yeah, I did on the Hogs Haven podcast way back when our schedule was released! But I'm not here to brag.

The win over the Giants saw yet another new wrinkle in the Redskins offense. Josh Morgan scored a touchdown from it after Robert Griffin III had fumbled. The play is basically the same as the triple option we've been seeing all year from the Redskins.

Griffin reads the defender and has three options; hand off to Alfred Morris inside, keep it himself or pitch it outside to the trailing runner. This play is nothing new to us, it's been bread and butter to the Redskins for a while now.

Now look at the Morgan touchdown play. It turns out to be the same concept, with a new formation we haven't seen before.

This time, Morris lines up behind Griffin in the pistol, rather than to his side. Both Morgan and fullback Darrel Young line up to the right of Griffin. But as you can see, the play ends up with the exact same options for Griffin.

Morgan makes his way around the back of Griffin to become the pitch option. Meanwhile, Griffin is reading the Giants edge defender. Knowing he has Young as a lead blocker, Griffin pulls the ball and keeps it.

Young makes an excellent chip on the defender, allowing Griffin time to accelerate up to full speed and get past him.

Young doesn't stop with the first block, he manages to disengage the first defender once Griffin is past him and remains as the lead blocker.

We all know what happened next, Griffin ran the ball down the field, fumble, only to be recovered by Morgan. Morgan did an excellent job to keep running his pitch option down the sideline, which is why he was able to recover the fumble and take it in for the touchdown.

But later on, the Redskins came back with the exact same look, but ran a play-action pass from it.

The formation is flipped from the touchdown play, but is otherwise the same. Young and Morris will sell the run fake, while Morgan will start his end-around before cutting back to the left.

Look at how many Giants defenders commit to the run on to the right. Having seen this formation only once previously, they assume its the same play as the touchdown run. Two Giants defenders are in position to get outside and stop the keep and pitch option.

Morgan cuts back to the left of the field. The two Giants defenders are taken completely out of the play after they bought the run fake.

Morgan is left wide open and unaccounted for. Easy throw and catch as Morgan takes it for an eight yard gain.

Kyle Shanahan has this offense running so many different plays from the similar formations, defenses have no clue what's going on. I'd hate to be the Cowboys, Eagles or Giants right now.