Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Orbit PA Wheel is a play-action shot play out of Pistol Strong Slot Open that uses orbit motion across the backfield to sell the run fake before releasing the motion man on a wheel route up the sideline. The two outside receivers run deep breaking routes, one a deep out and one a corner/post from the opposite side, while the running back stays in to help protect on the play-action fake. This is a man beater at its core, designed to isolate the wheel route against a linebacker or slot corner who bites on the fake or gets picked off by traffic, with the primary read progression starting at the wheel route out of the backfield before working to the deep out breaking underneath it and finally to the far side corner route.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense shifts a linebacker or safety over the top of the orbit motion man, which tips man coverage and a potential problem for the wheel route. Watch the flat defender at the snap, if he sits and reads the quarterback instead of running with the motion man, he can undercut the wheel route before it develops. Cover 3 zone with disciplined deep thirds can shut this down since the corner route and deep out both funnel into the same deep zone, forcing the wheel route to be the only real answer. Key the middle linebacker on the play action fake, if he stays home and does not bite on the run action he can also help wall off the wheel route as it climbs upfield. Watch for a user-controlled defender spying the backfield or lurking in the intermediate area, since a smart human defender can jump the wheel route if he reads the orbit motion and stays disciplined instead of following the fake.
Usage Tips
Use the orbit motion pre-snap to bait linebackers and safeties into flowing with the run action, then check if the defense follows the motion man across the formation before the snap.
This play hunts man coverage and works especially well against Cover 1 or Cover 3 Man shells where a linebacker or slower defender has to match up with the wheel route out of the backfield.
Hot route the deep out into a comeback or dig if you see a hard flat defender sitting on that route, since zone shells with a flat defender sitting underneath can jump the initial break.
Best called on second or third and medium to long when defenses are more willing to sell out on the run fake, since the play action freeze on linebackers is critical to opening the wheel route.
Pair this play with HB Zone or Orbit HB Off Tackle earlier in a series so the run action and pre-snap motion look identical, forcing linebackers to hesitate and creating a bigger throwing window on the wheel route later in the game.
