How the Spread Option Is Changing College and Professional Football

The spread option exploded onto the scene of college and NFL football this season after a few years of fits and starts. With the rise of Johnny Football from Texas A&M in the NCAA, and the emergence of Colin Kaepernick for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, the spread option, or read option as it is sometimes called, has become one of the most difficult offensive plays to defend against.

The Green Bay Packers have reportedly begun researching how to run and defend against the read option, according to ESPN. The Packers were eliminated from the playoffs by the 49ers, whose quarterback Colin Kaepernick set NFL playoff records for rushing. The 45-31 final score could have cost Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers his job, but the coaching staff decided to keep him and send him to Texas A&M to learn more about the offensive scheme.

While the read option did not originate at Texas A&M, they have developed it into one of the most potent offensive forces in college football. Behind the leadership of Johnny "Football" Manziel, the Texas A&M Aggies lost just two games early in the 2012-2013 season. They upset the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, and ran all over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl. Manziel set NCAA and SEC records, while winning the Heisman Trophy.

Johnny Football wasn't the first to run the spread option, but is arguably the best at it. Tim Tebow was famous for it at Florida, while Cam Newton has been running and throwing for the Carolina Panthers since entering the NFL.

With this year's NFL Draft class, two more rookies came into the league that can run the option, with devastating results. The Seattle Seahawks scored 150 points over three regular season games and won a playoff game with Russell Wilson running the offense, and the Washington Redskins made it to the playoffs after a 3-6 start to the season behind rookie phenom Robert Griffin III, before Griffin went out with a torn ACL after suffering a knee strain.

Football Injuries May Be Life Threatening

With the season over in the Northern Hemisphere and just beginning in the South the risk of permanent injuries from football are now gaining focus. Recent highlighting of brain damage that occurs from hitting one's head on the ground or in a solid tackle include players that have died from blood clots on the brain and other head injuries. The seriousness of misguided tackles and other problems with the sport are now playing hard on parents who are steering their children into other activities.

Few parent want to see their child dead or turned into a vegetable at a young age and publicity about the seriousness of contact sports injuries is damaging their future. Those with foresight have opted for other sporting activities, such as bike riding, golf, hockey and such for their children that take a less aggressive approach to winning.

While parents love to barrack a good footie game from the sidelines they can also be quite annoying in their enthusiasm and this can also result in brawls. Games have had to be stopped when an upset parent invades the field and takes on an umpire. Those who are brave enough to regulate such a game are often targets that may lead to long term depression or worse.

History of the Premier League

The Premier League had its earliest beginnings in an previous league, that was known as the Football League. The League first began in 1888. This league basically consisted of competitions between professional football clubs from all over Wales and England. As it began in 1888, it is considered to be the oldest competition in World Football.

  The Football League was the highest football league in England from its beginning until 1992. Since 1995 until the present day, there are 72 clubs in the Football League, that break down into three divisions, League One, League Two and the Championship. One feature of the league is to give the top Championship clubs the opportunity to change places with the lowest ranked clubs from the Premiership.