Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Speed Option Wk is a designed run play out of Pistol Trips Open with the HB aligned to the weak side away from the trips bunch. The diagram shows the QB and HB pitch relationship on the backfield side (red and green arrows) sweeping toward the open edge, while the trips receivers stay uninvolved as decoys to pull coverage away from the box. This is a run-first play with no route combo to speak of, relying on the QB reading the edge defender to either keep or pitch to the HB, making the primary read the unblocked EDGE or DE flowing to the mesh point.
Defensive Reads
Watch the edge defender or DE alignment before the snap, if he is crashing hard down inside every time this alerts the QB to pull and keep rather than pitch. Look for the defense to bring an extra man off the edge as a spy or contain player, which is the primary counter to speed option since it removes the numbers advantage on the perimeter. Check safety depth and rotation, a two high shell with the trips side getting extra attention often leaves the weak side edge thinner and easier to option. Man coverage with press corners on the trips side tends to leave the box lighter, which favors this run, while zone coverage with linebackers sitting flat footed in shallow drops can still fill quickly if they read run early. If the defense shows a heavy box with linebackers stacked tight to the weak side pre-snap, expect this play to get strung out short of the sideline and lose value.
Usage Tips
Check the box count before the snap and only call this against light boxes since the trips set pulls a defender or two out wide, leaving the edge defender as your true read key. Use it on early downs like first and second and short when you want a numbers advantage on the perimeter and the defense is showing single high or a nickel look with only six in the box. If the defense shows heavy blitz pressure off the edge, get out of this play with a pre-snap audible since speed option needs a clean mesh point and blitzers crashing too fast disrupt the pitch read. Pair it in a sequence with HB Zone or Wide Zone Wk from the same set so the defense has to respect both inside zone action and the outside speed option threat, keeping linebackers honest and slow to fill gaps. Once the defense starts overplaying the option keep, mix in PA Deep In or PA Pin Deep from this set off similar backfield action to hit them over the top.
