Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
HB Slip Screen out of Shotgun Doubles Z Close Wk sends four receivers vertical up the seams and sidelines to clear out the underneath zones and drag defenders downfield while the offensive line sets up a screen wall in front of the running back, who slips out to the backside flat away from the play call arrow. This is a screen pass designed to bait pass rush and beat aggressive man and zone blitz packages that overload the box. The primary read is the running back out of the backfield first, with the offensive line release and leverage of the widest defender on the screen side determining if the lane opens up.
Defensive Reads
Man coverage teams that send extra rushers off the edge are the primary target, since the four vertical releases pull defenders away from the screen lane. Watch for a linebacker or slot corner staying home in the backfield area post-snap, that is a lurk defender who can blow up the screen before blockers get set. Zone shells with linebackers sitting at five to seven yards will often sniff this out, since they can read the running back's release and squat on the throwing lane. Pre-snap, check if the defense is stacked with extra rushers on the play side, since that increases the number of blockers the offensive line needs to account for on the screen wall. If the defense shows Cover 3 or Cover 4 with disciplined zone drops, expect the screen to get sniffed out unless the pass rush fully commits upfield.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or after showing the same Doubles Z Close Wk formation with dropback pass concepts so defenders bite on the four vertical releases.
Check the defensive line alignment pre-snap, this play dies against interior linemen who sit and read instead of rushing upfield, so save it for aggressive defensive lines.
Pair this with Dagger Z Comeback or Dagger X Comeback from the same set to keep the defense honest on vertical routes before dialing up the screen.
User the backside blocker manually to seal the first defender who reads screen, since AI blocking can whiff on quick-diagnosing linebackers.
Avoid calling this against defenses that show zone drops with linebackers sitting in short zones, since they can jump the screen lane immediately.
