Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
HB Slip Screen out of Pistol Bunch is a screen pass built to bait aggressive pass rushers upfield while the HB slips out to the flat behind a wall of blockers. The three bunch receivers push vertical and one runs an outside breaking route to clear the flat, dragging linebackers and corners downfield, while the offensive line releases to set up screen blocks in front of the HB. The read is immediate: the QB looks to the HB screen as the first and only real progression, relying on the vertical routes to hold the second and third level defenders before the ball is delivered to the flat.
Defensive Reads
Key the middle linebacker and weak side linebacker depth at the snap, if they crash upfield or blitz off the edge the screen lane opens immediately. Watch for a spy or a linebacker sitting in the shallow flat area, that defender is the primary threat to blow up the HB Slip Screen before it develops. Man coverage with corners locked on the bunch receivers is ideal for the offense since it removes underneath help in the flat. Zone coverage shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4 with disciplined linebacker drops shut this play down because a defender sitting in the short flat can jump the screen for a big loss. User the flat defender or slot defender manually to sit on the screen route rather than committing to the bunch releases, this is the single biggest counter to the concept.
Usage Tips
Call this against defenses that show blitz pre-snap since the screen action punishes overpursuing rushers and aggressive nano blitz packages.
Snap the ball quickly once you see linebackers creeping to the line, that confirms the blitz look you want to exploit.
Use the vertical bunch routes as a pre-snap indicator, if the defense shows man coverage with tight bump alignment those routes should hold defenders long enough to spring the screen.
Sequence this play after a few drop back passes from the same Pistol Bunch set like Flanker Drive or Corner Strike so the defense respects the pass rush look and commits upfield.
Save this for early down and manageable distance situations where a busted screen only costs a modest loss, and avoid calling it into disciplined zone teams that sit their linebackers.
