Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
95 Mike is a designed QB run out of the I Form Wing set, tagged as a QB Sneak and Dive concept behind a heavy 22 personnel front. The diagram shows the quarterback taking a direct downhill dive path behind the center with the fullback aligned in front to seal the point of attack, while the offensive line fires out for double teams and combo blocks up front. There is no pass read here, this is a pure gap-and-a-half power run designed to get the QB north-south immediately for short yardage, with the primary "read" simply being to follow the fullback's block into the hole the line creates.
Defensive Reads
Watch for a stacked box pre-snap, if the defense shows 8 or more defenders within 5 yards of the line this play will struggle to find room. Key the middle linebacker's depth, if he is playing shallow and reading the mesh point he can blow up the sneak before the fullback gets a clean block. Identify goal line or short yardage defensive packages, these fronts are designed specifically to stop dive and sneak concepts and often bring extra defensive linemen. Look for a jumped snap count from an aggressive nose tackle or defensive tackle shooting a gap, this can collapse the play before the QB gets moving. User-controlled linebackers sitting in the A or B gap pre-snap are the biggest threat, if you see manual defender movement toward the middle abandon the sneak and consider an audible.
Usage Tips
Call this on short yardage and goal line situations, especially 3rd or 4th and 1, since the play is built to get a fast push right at the line of scrimmage.
Check the defensive front pre-snap for a heavy box or stacked A-gap alignment, if the defense has more than six defenders inside the tackles consider audibling to a different concept.
Snap the ball quickly after the defense sets to avoid giving linebackers time to diagnose the sneak and crash downhill.
Pair this with HB Lead or Close HB Lead earlier in a drive so the defense respects the fullback dive action, then bring out 95 Mike to catch aggressive linebackers flowing too fast.
Use manual control on the fullback to adjust the lead block angle if you see a linebacker shooting the gap pre-snap.
