Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Pin Pull Sweep out of Pistol Y Trips is a gap scheme run play that pulls the playside guard and center around the edge while the frontside tackle and tight end pin down on the defensive front. The HB takes the handoff from Pistol alignment and presses the edge, reading his pulling linemen to decide whether to bounce outside or cut it up inside the kickout blocks. This is a power run design meant to attack outside leverage and overpursuing fronts, not a man or zone beater in the passing sense, so the primary read progression is the RB keying the puller's block to choose his lane rather than a route concept.
Defensive Reads
Watch for defensive ends and outside linebackers crashing hard inside since Pin Pull Sweep is built to bounce outside on overaggressive fronts. Identify if the defense is playing a 4-3 under or 3-4 with a wide nine technique, as those alignments naturally clog the pulling lane and force a cutback. Key the force defender, usually a strong safety or OLB in run support, to see if he sets the edge or gets sealed by the pulling guard. If the offense sees a user-controlled linebacker flowing hard to the sideline before the snap, expect the CPU to call an outside contain blitz that can beat this sweep before the pullers get outside. Cover 1 or Cover 3 with an extra run defender in the box is the toughest shell to attack with this play since it stacks numbers against the edge run fit.
Usage Tips
Check the defensive front pre-snap for outside leverage from the defensive end and OLB since Pin Pull Sweep is designed to gash defenses that crash hard inside on base runs. Use your fullback or lead blocker icon to manually seal the force defender if the CPU AI whiffs on the kickout block. This play hits best on early downs like first and ten or second and short when defenses are not yet keyed into stopping the sweep. Pair it with HB Counter and HB Dive from the same Y Trips personnel to keep linebackers guessing between inside zone and outside gap runs. Against aggressive user blitzers, hot route the tight end to chip before releasing to slow down edge pressure that can blow up the pulling linemen before they get to the corner.
