Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Tr Option Slip is a true triple option run play out of Pistol Strong with 21 personnel, built to attack the edge with a pitch relationship between the QB, dive back, and pitch back. The diagram shows the fullback taking the dive path up through the middle while the pitch back slides outside to the flat, giving the QB a live give, keep, or pitch decision based on the first unblocked defender off the edge. There is no route tree or passing concept shown here, this is strictly an option run play designed to beat aggressive fronts and overpursuing defenses by forcing one defender to be wrong every snap. The primary read is the QB reading the play side defensive end or edge defender for the dive versus keep decision, then reading the next level defender for the keep versus pitch decision.
Defensive Reads
Watch for the play side defensive end crashing down hard on the dive, that is your pitch key and tells the offense to go outside immediately. Identify if the defense is running assigned option responsibilities with a dedicated QB spy or force defender, this shuts down the keep phase entirely. Check linebacker depth and flow pre-snap, linebackers sitting square and reading rather than flowing hard will erase the cutback lanes on the dive. Look for cornerbacks and safeties rotating down into run support on run downs, since numbers advantage on the edge kills the pitch phase. Post-snap, track whether the user controlled defender squeezes the dive or widens for the pitch, since a disciplined user can single-handedly account for two of the three option phases.
Usage Tips
Run this on early downs or short yardage when you want to control tempo and force the defense to respect three phases of the option at once.
Check the defensive end alignment pre-snap, if he is crashing hard on run downs he is begging to be optioned off for an easy pitch to the edge.
Use this against defenses that key on run fits with linebackers flowing hard, since the pitch phase punishes overaggressive linebacker flow to the dive.
Pair this with HB Power or HB Off Tackle from the same Pistol Strong set so the defense cannot sit on the edge without opening up interior gaps.
Sequence Tr Option Slip with Tr Opt Switch to keep defenders guessing on which back gets the pitch, since both plays look identical at the snap.
Avoid calling this into stacked boxes with extra defenders assigned to spy the QB, since disciplined option defense eliminates all three phases quickly.
