Cheat HB Slip Screen

Watch for defensive ends and outside linebackers crashing hard upfield, since that flow away from the HB is the green light for this screen to hit. Check the alignment of the flat defender on the bunch side pre-snap, because if he sits low and reads the backfield instead of covering the two vertical releases, the screen lane collapses. Man coverage with linebackers turning their backs to chase the seam and corner routes is the ideal shell to attack, since nobody stays home to cover the HB. Zone shells with a linebacker spying the backfield or a defender assigned to screen recognition will blow this play up quickly, so avoid calling it against defenses that show discipline in their underneath zone drops. If the user controls a defender and immediately drops into a shallow zone near the line of scrimmage instead of rushing, abort the screen mentality and let the quarterback climb to the shallow crosser or vertical routes instead.