Playbooks

Scheme Playbook

Two Back Offense

SchemeOffense

10Formations

46Sets

462Plays

Overview

The Two Back Offense is a 462 play generic scheme playbook spread across 10 formations and 46 sets, which makes it larger than 92% of the game's 13 offensive scheme playbooks. Its identity is the fullback. The I family carries the book: I Form (117 plays, 25%), Strong I (99 plays, 21%) and Weak I (57 plays, 12%) add up to 273 plays, nearly 60% of everything you can call. Stack Split Backs (42), Near (24) and Far (18) on top of that and roughly three out of every four snaps put two backs behind the quarterback. Shotgun (66 plays, 14%) and Pistol (27 plays, 6%) give it a lighter passing and spread change of pace. Goal Line Offense and Hail Mary cover the situational extremes.

This book supports a downhill, clock-controlling game plan. You set up a lead blocker through personnel 21, 22 and 23, pound interior runs like FB Dive, 26 Duo and 0 1 Trap, and then punish safeties who creep down with play action. The tagged pass concepts are Post, Go, Corner, Sail, Flood, Wheel, Swing and dedicated Cover 2 and Cover 3 beaters. They are built around vertical and outside-breaking routes that you release off run action, not around quick-game spacing.

What you get over another book is two-back variety that few playbooks match. Split Backs appears in only 8 of the game's 236 playbooks, Near in 9 and Far in just 6. You can show three distinct offset and split backfield alignments on top of a deep I package, so opponents who have only drilled against Singleback and Gun rosters will see run fits and flat threats they rarely practice against. Because of the book's size, you can carry multiple sets of the same formation and call the same core concept from several looks without repeating a pre-snap picture.

Scheme Fit

The Two Back Offense wants a high blocking fullback, a power running back with strong trucking and break tackle ratings, and tight ends who can run block and still threaten the seam off play action. A quarterback with a strong deep arm and good play-action accuracy gets the most from the Post, Go, Corner and Sail shots, and a second back who catches well turns the Wheel and Swing calls from Split Backs, Near and Far into real weapons. Pick it if you like to control the clock, win the line of scrimmage and throw deep off run action rather than living in spread quick game.

Example Plays from this Playbook

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Strengths

Nearly 60% of the book lives in I Form, Strong I and Weak I, so you can run the same inside zone, duo and trap concepts toward or away from the fullback offset and force the defense to reset its run fits every snap.
Split Backs, Near and Far are among the rarest formations in the game (8, 9 and 6 playbooks of 236), which gives you backfield alignments that opponents rarely see in practice and that break their memorized user defender assignments on flats and wheels.
Five personnel groups, from 23 heavy to 20 and 11 three-receiver looks, let you sub personnel to pull defenders into base or goal line packages and then take advantage of the matchup with Wheel, Swing and Flood routes out of the backfield.
The sheer size of the book (46 sets) lets you build an audible package where one formation carries a run, a play-action shot and a Cover 3 or Cover 2 beater, so you can check to the right answer from the same huddle look.
Two-back sets produce natural max protect and chip options, so Post, Go, Corner and Sail shots off play action get extra time against nano blitz pressure if you keep the fullback in and hot route the tight end to block.

Weaknesses

Shotgun is only 66 plays across 5 sets and Pistol is just 27, so on third and long you have a small pool of spread looks. Opponents who recognize your Gun sets can sit in their dime and blitz calls.
There is no Singleback or Empty formation in the spread, so 11 personnel only shows up in limited sets. Defenses can often match personnel and know that two backs in the huddle means run or play action.
With 75% of the snaps from two-back alignments, a defense that commits a user linebacker to the A gap and plays single-high can stack the box without much fear of quick spread concepts punishing it.
The tagged concepts list leans toward vertical and outside-breaking routes (Post, Go, Corner, Sail, Out, Curl) with no tagged man beater built on quick crossers, so press man with a robber can squeeze the book if your running game stalls.
Goal Line Offense is a single set with 9 plays, which leaves you thin on heavy variety inside the 2 yard line. A defense can load up once it identifies your few jumbo calls.

Usage Tips

Build your base down package around I Form and Strong I: carry a downhill run like FB Dive or 26 Duo, a play-action Post or Corner shot, and a Flood concept, then call them on first and 10 and second and medium so the fullback threat freezes the second level.

Use Weak I on second and short or against defenses shading to your strength, since the offset fullback away from the tight end sets up trap and counter action like 0 1 Trap into the bubble that the defense's overshift leaves open.

Save Split Backs, Near and Far for passing downs between 4 and 8 yards. Backs Cross and Swing and Wheel releases from those rare alignments stress flat defenders who have not seen them, and you can motion a back out to identify man or zone before the snap.

On third and 7 or longer, audible into your Shotgun sets and call the Cover 2 or Cover 3 beater based on the safety rotation you read pre-snap. Hot route the second back to a block if you see a nano blitz look.

Inside the 3 yard line, sub into Goal Line Offense or Strong I 23 personnel, but mix in a play-action Corner or Out from Strong I so defenders cannot sell out on the dive because your goal line set is so small.