Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Tr Option Lt is a triple option run play out of Pistol Strong Slot with 21 personnel, designed to attack the left edge. The diagram shows the QB reading a mesh point with the HB running the dive path while a pitch man releases wide left off the edge, with the QB keying the read defender to decide between keep, hand off, or pitch. This is a pure run scheme built to stress unblocked edge defenders rather than a pass concept, and the primary read progression is dive man first, then pitch man if the read defender crashes down inside.
Defensive Reads
Watch the defensive end or outside linebacker assigned to the option, if he sits and reads instead of crashing, the QB should keep and cut upfield. If the edge defender crashes hard on the dive fake, pitch immediately to the perimeter ball carrier before the safety can rotate down. Stacked boxes with an extra defender assigned to the edge shut this down fast, since it removes the numbers advantage the option is designed to create. Zone teams that spill the play outside with disciplined leverage can limit the pitch, so mixing in HB Power O keeps defenders from selling out on the edge. User-controlled defenders who jump the mesh point early can be beaten with a quick pitch read, since jumping the dive leaves the perimeter wide open.
Usage Tips
Run this on early downs or short yardage when you need a numbers advantage on the edge against light boxes.
Check the defensive end and outside linebacker alignment pre-snap, if they are crashing hard on run tendencies this play punishes overpursuit with the pitch.
Manually control the QB after the snap so you can freeze the read defender before committing to keep or pitch, this is critical against user defenders who jump the dive.
Pair this with HB Power O and HB Zone from the same set so defenses cannot sit on the option keys, then mix in Tr Option Lt to keep the edge defender honest.
Use this against aggressive gap-shooting fronts or teams that overload the box, since the pitch phase punishes defenders who take themselves out of position chasing the dive.
