Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
HB Stretch Alert X Smoke is an outside zone run out of the I Form Pro 21 personnel set with a built-in RPO alert to the X receiver on a smoke screen. The offensive line flows laterally to the play side while the HB reads the stretch blocking scheme and looks to bend it back if the edge is sealed, and the FB leads through the hole to pick up the first threat off the edge. The alert tag lets you throw a quick smoke pass to the X receiver if the defense crashes hard on the run, making this a run play with a built-in zone beater bailout rather than a true dropback pass concept.
Defensive Reads
Watch the corner over the X receiver pre-snap. If he presses hard with no help over the top the smoke alert can be jumped, so consider a different alert tag or straight run. Key the play side linebackers. If they crash down fast to fill the alley you should trust the cutback lane on the outside zone rather than forcing it wide. Look for safety rotation to the run side. Two high safeties staying deep post-snap usually means the smoke throw is there against a soft corner. Man coverage with a corner in the flat sitting on the smoke route will blow this play up quickly, so know your alert audible before the snap. Aggressive run blitzes that send extra defenders into the box actually help the smoke alert since the corner is often left alone in coverage.
Usage Tips
Check the defensive front pre-snap and if you see the corner playing off or the safety cheating toward the box, throw the smoke alert to the X receiver immediately for a free gain.
If the defense shows a light box with only six or seven defenders in the run fit, stick with the outside zone hand off and trust your stretch blocking to create a cutback lane.
Use this play on early downs like first and second and ten to keep the defense honest between run and pass without tipping your hand.
Pair this with HB Stretch Alert X Lookie and HB Stretch to keep the defense guessing on which alert you will throw off the same zone run look.
Sequence this with Power O and HB Counter Str later in the drive so the defense has to respect multiple gap schemes off similar personnel and formation.
