The read option is marginally less "effective" in 2013 than it was in 2012, but there are myriad variables at play. The yards per attempt is down some, which is exactly what pretty much everyone expected to happen -- even the most hardened read option defenders.
Teams are going to focus on it, it's going to be a priority and therefore it's going to be a little tougher to do, for the most part. That said, even if teams "know" how to stop the read option, there's still the little detail of actually executing that plan.
As Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable put it:
"I've heard Mike [Tomlin] and others talk about defending it. Whoever is going to do it, you better have the answers. All we've heard all spring is every defensive coach in the NFL is saying ‘I'm going to go to Texas A&M, I'm going to go to Oregon with their new coach, and try to figure this thing out."
"Hey, it's football. It's no different than getting in the I[-formation] and running the lead play. It's a different way of doing it."
Even if you know it's coming, you've still got to stop it. You still have to account for it.
[B]NO DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR FOUND A MAGIC ELIXIR FOR STOPPING THE READ OPTION BETWEEN THIS SEASON AND LAST.[/B]
As I have illustrated (and keep in mind, most of these GIF'd plays are from the past couple of weeks), there are ways to defend the read option, and there are ways to beat those defensive adjustments. In general, running 3-4 looks with multiple linemen two-gapping is a way to mitigate the numbers advantage the use of read option creates. If you're in a 4-3 defense, bring eight defenders into the box. Again, generally, having elite athletes on the edges is nice, and in the secondary, it helps to call zone coverage with players looking in toward the line of scrimmage so they can see the action in front of them. Simply, you must play disciplined, smart football, minding your gaps and staying on script while knowing which player you're responsible for.
[B][U]No defensive coordinator found a magic elixir for stopping the read option between this season and last. Teams will continue to use it as a complementary weapon in their offense. For the Seahawks, the "no-read read option" has been a pretty popular deterrent to the common read option defenses. For the Panthers and Niners, their wide variance in read option looks and formations is what makes their versions hard to defend. The Chiefs have done a good job in using pistol read option looks to create play-action passing opportunities. The Eagles, who run the read option more than any other team in the NFL by a long shot, use all of the above to make it effective.[/U][/B]
The differences in the read option from 2012 to 2013 run parallel to the changes in strategy in defending it. As defensive coordinators figure out better ways to stifle it, their counterparts break out new tweaks in response. The game of chess continues.