Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
RPO Peek Stick out of Shotgun Deuce Close shows a single receiver stacked outside running a quick out breaking toward the sideline while a flat route from the backfield or slot works underneath to the same side, giving the quarterback a horizontal stretch read. The diagram shows the run action tagged behind the offensive line as the RPO element, letting the quarterback peek at the second level defender (usually the flat or alley defender) before deciding to hand off or pull and throw the out route. This is an RPO built to attack light boxes and off coverage, with the primary read progression going run key first (count the box), then peek the flat defender to decide between the underlying flat route and the breaking out route.
Defensive Reads
Watch the alignment of the flat defender pre-snap, if he is shaded outside expecting the out route, hand it off since the box should be manageable. Post-snap, key the second level defender's first step, if he crashes down on the run fake the quarterback should immediately peek and throw the out or flat route behind him. This play beats zone shells like Cover 3 and Cover 4 that leave the flat defender in conflict between run support and pass coverage. Man coverage with a blitz off the edge can shut this down quickly since the quarterback loses time to make the peek read, so watch for overload pressure looks pre-snap. Diagnose linebacker depth before the snap, shallow linebackers signal a run blitz call which should push the offense toward the pass side of this RPO.
Usage Tips
Check the box count pre-snap and if the defense has six or fewer in the box, lean toward pulling the ball and throwing since the numbers favor the pass side.
Identify the flat or curl-flat defender before the snap because that is the key defender this RPO is designed to freeze, if he sits on the underneath route throw the out behind him.
Use the hot route to adjust the outside receiver into a quicker breaking route against press corners who try to jam and disrupt timing.
This play pairs well with Inside Zone and Outside Zone from the same set since the run action looks identical, keeping linebackers honest and making the RPO read tougher to diagnose.
Best called on early downs (first or second and medium) when defenses are more likely to sit in base fronts and light boxes, giving you a clean run or pass conversion decision.
