Playbooks
At a Glance
In 2 playbooks
Overview
H Pro is the hybrid look inside I Form, trading the traditional fullback stack for an H back style alignment that puts your second back off the line rather than directly behind the quarterback. Where I Form Pro and I Form Tight keep both backs stacked in the tube and force everything through downhill lead blocking, H Pro shifts the alignment so the offset back can release clean into the flat, chip and climb, or insert as a puller. You still get 21 personnel on the field, which means the defense usually answers with base 4-3 or nickel at most, and that is the entire point: you are running a two back look with route flexibility that spread sets cannot pull off without going lighter up front.
Strengths
- PA Scissors is the money concept out of this set, pairing a deep post and corner off play action that punishes single high shells and any user who bites on the run fake with the free safety
- The offset back releases uncovered against base personnel constantly, giving you a linebacker matchup in the flat that you can hot route to a slant or angle for an instant man beater
- HB Stretch and HB Counter Wk give you complementary run looks from the same alignment, so the defense cannot key one direction without getting hit on the backside pull
- Curls and Short Slants both attack the 10 to 14 yard window against Cover 3 and Cover 2, and the tight end plus offset back combination floods the middle where zone droppers have to choose
- The Gadget tag means you can mix in trick looks from a formation that reads as a run heavy alignment, keeping opponents from committing to run fits pre-snap
Weaknesses
- Only three true route runners on most plays, so against Cover 2 Man or heavy man coverage with a robber you can run out of options fast if the offset back gets picked up
- Interior blitz and A gap pressure show up quickly because the offset alignment removes the fullback from the middle of the protection, and nano blitzes off the mug look can get home before your second read
- The tight end side is predictable, and a user-controlled linebacker sitting over the top of the curl or slant window will jump anything thrown to that side
- No spread out receiver splits means the defense can play compressed and squeeze all your route stems into the same congested area
- Play action concepts like PA Scissors take too long against edge speed rushers, and against a wide 9 alignment you are dead before the fake finishes
Usage Tips
Use this set on second and medium where the defense has to respect both HB Stretch and the play action shot, because that is where PA Scissors converts into explosive gains
Check the safety alignment pre-snap: single high means throw the Scissors combo, two high means run HB Counter Wk or HB Slam into the light box
Hot route the offset back to a flat or angle route whenever you see a linebacker walk up on the line, that is your free man beater and your pressure answer at the same time
Motion a receiver across pre-snap to confirm man versus zone, then choose between Curls against zone and Short Slants with a hot routed drag against man
Slide protection toward the open side on any play action call so your quarterback has time to sell the fake without eating a free edge rusher
Do not overuse the tight end side, mix in the offset back release and the backside HB Stretch cutback so the user defender cannot camp one window
