Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
RPO Read Bubble out of Pistol Trips Left Open is a true run pass option built around a bubble screen to the slot receiver and inside zone action to the HB. The offensive line executes zone blocking to the play side while the QB reads the alley or slot defender to decide whether to hand off the zone run or pull and throw the quick bubble screen to the outside receiver. This is a numbers based RPO that beats light box looks and overaggressive linebacker flow, making it a zone and man beater depending on the leverage of the flat defender.
Defensive Reads
Watch the slot corner or overhang defender pre-snap, if he is sitting in an outside shade with no help underneath, the bubble screen becomes a low value read. Key the play side linebacker's first step after the snap, if he flows hard toward the running back's zone action, the bubble screen to the trips side is wide open. Look for defenses that bring an overhang blitz off the edge, this can be one of the fastest counters to this RPO because it beats both the run and the screen before the QB can decide. Cover 3 with a hard flat defender squatting on the bubble route shuts down the pass option and forces the offense into the zone run look. Man coverage with no help defender near the line of scrimmage on the slot receiver almost always signals a bubble throw since the leverage favors the offense in space.
Usage Tips
Check the box count before the snap and if there are six or fewer defenders in the box, lean run on this RPO. Identify the slot or overhang defender responsible for the bubble screen area, if he sits inside or crashes down on the run fake, pull and throw the bubble immediately. Use this play on early downs in run heavy sequences to keep the defense honest and set up explosive gains when linebackers overreact to zone action. Pair this with RPO Alert Bubble and RPO Zone Alert Bubble in the same set so the defense cannot key on one specific RPO shell without getting burned by the other variations. Against teams that spam Cover 3 or man blitzes, hot route the backside receiver into a quick out to punish overcommitted defenders and keep the offense ahead of the sticks.
