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Breakdown
Read Option out of Pistol Trips Left Open lines up the QB and HB in a pistol read alignment with three receivers stacked to the left and a single receiver split right, none of whom run routes on this play since it is a pure zone read run design. The offensive line blocks a zone scheme to the play side while the QB reads the backside defensive end: hand it to the HB on the give path or pull it and attack the edge himself on the keep path. This is a run play built to beat light boxes and aggressive edge defenders, not a man or zone passing beater, and the primary read progression is simply the mesh point decision between give and keep based on the unblocked end man's crash or contain technique.
Defensive Reads
Watch the backside defensive end's first step at the snap, if he crashes inside toward the HB the QB should pull and keep for the edge, if he sits outside to contain the QB the give to the HB is live. Pre-snap, check for a stacked box or an extra defender walked down near the line of scrimmage since that signals a run blitz look that can blow up both the give and keep options. Look at linebacker depth, if they are sitting shallow and squared up they can fill the alley quickly on the keep, favoring the give instead. User controlled defenders who spy the QB or crash the mesh point aggressively are the biggest threat to this play, so avoid calling it into a defense that has shown that tendency. Man coverage on the outside with the trips receivers is largely irrelevant since no routes are run, but a defense in a heavy zone shell with linebackers reading run first tends to shut this down by filling gaps before the mesh point develops.
Usage Tips
Check the box count before the snap and only call this against six or fewer defenders in the box since trips left pulls extra defenders away from the run fit. Identify whether the backside end is crashing down on the HB or sitting to contain the QB, that is your entire read for the give or keep decision. Use this in early down and short yardage situations where you want a low risk, high floor gain without exposing the QB to a heavy pass rush. Pair it in your play calling sequence with RPO Read Bubble or RPO Alert Bubble from the same set so defenses that key on the mesh point get punished by the bubble screen tag. Mix in HB Dive and HB Counter from this set to keep linebackers guessing on run fits before coming back to Read Option once they start flowing hard to one side.
