Playbooks

WR Mid Screen

Shotgun·Double Stack·11
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This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 1 playbook

Franchise Offense Sharedcoach1Offense

Breakdown

WR Mid Screen out of Shotgun Double Stack is a designed screen play that gets the ball out quickly to a stacked receiver working back to the middle of the field behind a wall of blockers. The offensive line and any releasing blockers set up in front of the screen, using delayed releases to bait pass rushers upfield before sealing off lanes for the runner after the catch. This is a blitz beater and zone beater, and the primary read is automatic: get the ball to the screen receiver and trust the blocking to spring him after the catch, since there is no true progression to work through.

Defensive Reads

As the defense, key on the offensive line showing soft pass sets with no aggressive punch, which is a strong indicator of a screen developing rather than a drop back pass. Watch for receivers in the stack releasing upfield only a few yards before turning back to face the quarterback, a clear tell for WR Mid Screen. User a linebacker or slot defender and stay home instead of blitzing, then flow downhill the instant the ball is thrown to blow up the screen before blockers get set. This play is shut down hard by zone coverages with disciplined linebackers who sit and read the quarterback's eyes, and by defenses that spy the screen with a designated underneath defender. Avoid sending every rusher on a blitz call, since unblocked defensive backs and linebackers hanging back are the biggest counter to this concept.

Usage Tips

Call this play when you diagnose an aggressive pass rush pre-snap, especially against nano blitzes or overload pressure looks where defensive linemen and edge rushers are crashing hard. Check the stack alignment pre-snap and identify if the defense is showing man coverage with tight press corners, since those defenders will struggle to get off blocks once the screen develops. Use hot routes to convert the backside receivers into clear-out routes like verticals or slants so their defenders are pulled away from the screen lane. Pair this play in a sequence with Mtn Shallow Cross or Four Verticals from the same set so the defense respects deeper route concepts and stops sitting on screens after tendency adjustments. Best deployed on early downs or after a big pass rush win by the defense, since it resets the pocket and punishes overaggressive pursuit angles.

Other Plays in Double Stack