It's, to an extent, the wave of the future. It's already changed how we think about quarterbacking and offense. Will the whole spread option become the future of the NFL lock, stock, and barrel? No of course not.
However mobile athletic QBs will be more highly sought after and zone reading has already started to happen in the NFL. And of course no huddle and hurry up offenses are becoming popular. One reason that the spread option is so attractive is you don't need a stud QB like Manning, Brees, or Brady to have success.
Traditional NFL offenses require a QB who can drop back, hang tough in the pocket, and read and react to defenses. This requires a high level of sophistication and it's the reason that QB contracts are so ridiculous and guys like Joe Flacco get way more money than they're worth because such a premium is placed on the QB. However if you run a spread style offense the QB isn't asked to do nearly as much dropping back and reading of defenses. I think that's part of the reason young kids like RGIII, Kaepernick, and Wilson can have such quick success, they just simply aren't asked to do as much. Of course those guys are very good and eventually will probably begin to handle a more traditional offense if so desired.
Most of the passes in the zone read offense are quick and don't require standing in the pocket letting long routes develop. Those who criticize the spread transitioning to the NFL because "20 million dollar QBs will get hurt," don't realize that the spread takes the premium off of elite QB play and place it more on solid blocking, running, and stretching the field. If QBs aren't held in such high regard and it's no longer considered as vital to have a "franchise" QB, contracts will start to fall. When I was younger the the maxim was "running and defense wins championships," however almost no one thinks like that anymore. Running back used to be considered a very important position and RBs were huge stars now most teams consider a running game an afterthought. (Outside my beloved Vikings of course.) Teams like the Colts (with Manning and without), the Patriots, the Packers, the Falcons, and the Saints have recently had success without much of a running game or even good defenses. Even the Vikings in 2009 with Favre our running game was complimentary to our passing attack.
My point is the game has changed and evolved and it will change and evolve again. More uptempo, spread style attacks with quick athletic QBs are the future. Even up to last year I thought the spread was a gimmick and I didn't like it however after really watching Oregon and studying the spread I become a believer.
Though they're made by an Oregon fan, these tutorials are the best breakdowns of the inside and outside zone read I've ever seen:
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