By Brendan Leister | Posted 2/25/2019

When Freddie Kitchens took over as the interim offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, he knew he had to do some creative things to move the ball consistently. One of the ways he accomplished this was through his use of Run/Pass Options (RPOs). Today, we take a look at two RPOs the Browns used during the second half of the season.

Outside Zone Y Pop

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Playside Tackle: Block out on the playside defensive end.

Playside Guard: With no immediate threat in playside B-gap, climb for playside inside linebacker.

Center: Reach the playside 1-technique.

Backside Guard: With no immediate threat in playside A-gap, double the backside 3-technique to the backside inside linebacker.

Backside Tackle: Double the backside 3-technique to the backside inside linebacker.

Running Back: Accelerate through the mesh point with an aiming point of the outside leg of the tackle. If quarterback hands it off, read “bounce, bang, bend” rules: read the end man on the line of scrimmage. If he gets reached, the running back bounces the ball outside to the C-gap. If the end man on the line of scrimmage doesn’t get reached, the running then reads the next defender inside on the line of scrimmage. If that defender gets reached, the RB runs through the B-gap. If he doesn’t get reached, the RB bends the ball back inside to the A-gap.

No. 1 Receiver to Trips side: Block the most dangerous man to the bubble.

No. 2 Receiver: Bubble.

No. 3 Receiver: Find the void in the zone between the nickel, inside linebacker and safety and turn to find the football.

Isolated X Receiver: Stalk block versus zone and run off versus man.

Quarterback: Read the backside inside linebacker and defensive end. If the inside linebacker doesn’t expand to cover the No. 3 receiver, throw the pop pass. If he drops back in coverage and the defensive end stays at home, hand it off. If the linebacker drops and the defensive end chases the back, keep the football and replace the end.

Since the backside inside linebacker doesn’t expand to cover the No. 3 receiver, Baker Mayfield throws the pop pass to David Njoku for a 9-yard gain. Njoku does a great job of finding the void in the zone, making the catch and then gaining some extra yards after contact.

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Split Inside Zone Y Flat

Playside Tackle: Block out on the defensive end.

Playside Guard: Block immediate threat in the playside B-gap (3-technique).

Center: Block the immediate threat in the playside A-gap and climb to the second level if no threat appears.

Backside Guard: Reach the backside 1-technique.

Backside Tackle: With no immediate threat in the backside B-gap, climb for the backside inside linebacker.

Running Back: Accelerate through the mesh point with an aiming point of around the outside leg of the playside guard. If the QB hands it off, read the playside 3-technique. If the 3-tech gets reached, run through the vacated B-gap. If the 3-tech maintains his gap, read the backside 1-technique. If the 1-tech holds his ground in the backside A-gap, bend the run back through the backside B-gap. If the backside 1-tech gets reached, the run should hit the backside A-gap.

Outside Wide Receivers: Stalk block versus zone and run off versus man.

Slot Receiver: Stalk block the nickelback.

Tight End: Take a path as if blocking back on the backside defensive end on split zone. Once outside the tackle box, look for the football in the flat.

Quarterback: Read the backside defensive end. If he comes down the line toward the running back, pull the ball and hit the tight end with an accurate pass in the flat.

Since the backside defensive end shuffles down inside with eyes on the running back, Mayfield pulls the ball, sprints out for a few steps and finds Njoku in the flat. The wide receiver loses his block to the hard corner in the flat and the corner makes the tackle for no gain.

Overall, these two RPO concepts can benefit any offense. They are easy to teach and give an offense the ability to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quickly. Getting playmakers the ball in space can be the difference between winning and losing and RPOs are a great way to accomplish that.

Photo Courtesy: Kareem Elgazzar/Fox 11 Cincinnati