Playbooks
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn HB Draw is a run play out of Pistol Y Trips that uses a pre-snap motion man from the trips side crossing the formation to sell pass action before the handoff. The offensive line shows a drop-step pass protection look while the two outside receivers stem vertical stems (both breaking upfield off the line) to pull cornerbacks and safeties away from the box, and the single receiver on the backside runs a shallow drag underneath to hold off any late-flowing linebacker. The HB takes the delayed handoff and reads the interior lane created by the draw blocking, with the primary read being the frontside gap between the guard and center before bouncing outside if the defensive tackle penetrates.
Defensive Reads
Key the middle linebacker depth at the snap since draw plays live and die on linebackers biting on the pass rush drop or the play action fake. If the defensive line stays disciplined and holds their gaps instead of crashing upfield, this play has nowhere to go and should be checked out of. Watch for a user controlled defender spying the backfield or sitting in a shallow zone drop, since that is the number one killer of any draw concept. Man coverage shells with cornerbacks pressed on the outside receivers open up running lanes because the linebackers are more likely to be occupied in coverage drops rather than reading the backfield. Blitz heavy packages, especially those bringing extra defenders off the edge, tend to overrun the play and create the biggest cutback lanes for the HB.
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs or in obvious passing situations like second and long to exploit defenses selling out on the pass rush. Watch pre-snap for aggressive four man rushes or blitz packages that show no spy on the running back, since those disciplines get gashed by the delayed action. Motion the trips receiver across pre-snap to bait linebackers into flowing with the man motion and to check if the defense rotates into man coverage or stays in a zone shell. Pair this play with Y Stick and Curls from the same Y Trips set so the defense respects the same pre-snap motion and formation without knowing if run or pass is coming. Hot route the backside drag receiver into a hook or shorten his route depth if you see linebackers sitting underneath, since that clears the throwing lane if you need to bail into a pass late.
