Playbooks

Snag HB Wheel

Shotgun·Doubles Off Close Wk·11

Quick Reference

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Breakdown

Snag HB Wheel is a man beater built around the snag concept to one side (corner, flat, and spot routes stacked underneath and outside) paired with an HB wheel route as the primary answer against man coverage or blown coverage leaks. The offensive line runs standard pass protection while the running back releases late out of the backfield, giving linebackers a hard angle to defend if they bite on run action or the flat route. The read progression starts with the snag corner route as the initial window against zone, then works down to the flat, and the HB wheel is the alert versus man coverage or when a linebacker fails to carry the back vertically.

Defensive Reads

Identify man coverage pre-snap by checking if a linebacker or nickel defender is aligned tight to the running back, this is your green light to target the wheel immediately. Watch for a hard flat defender sitting on the snag flat route, if he stays home and does not widen with the back, the wheel is uncovered down the sideline. Read the corner route defender first against zone shells, a soft cushion corner or a safety rotating late means the snag corner is open in the intermediate window. Beware Cover 3 sky or Cover 4 match defenses where the flat defender can sink and the deep half safety can carry the wheel route, this shuts down the primary alert. Look for user controlled lurk defenders spying the running back out of the backfield, if you see a defender staying low and shuffling with the back pre-snap, avoid the wheel and work back to the snag or flat progression.

Usage Tips

Check the flat defender and the linebacker assigned to the running back before the snap, if you see man coverage indicators like a defender lined up over the back at the snap, key the wheel route immediately.

Use motion or a quick glance at the corner and safety alignment to confirm two high or one high shells, the snag corner route wins versus single high zone drops when the corner sits too low.

Hot route the backside receiver into a shallow drag or spot if you are facing zone heavy defenses to give yourself a second underneath answer away from the trips or doubles side.

This play pairs well with Mtn PA Y Cross or Mtn PA Wave in your call sheet since both threaten the same side of the field with play action, forcing linebackers to hesitate before sinking under the wheel route.

Best used on second and medium to second and long, since the wheel route needs a full field crossing pattern that benefits from extra time, avoid calling this on third and short where the sticks come before the wheel develops.

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