Playbooks
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Fade HB Wheel out of Shotgun Doubles is a man beater built to attack the boundary and flood one side with three levels of routes. The backside receiver runs a fade up the sideline while the slot receiver clears out on a deep in, and the frontside receiver runs an out and up that breaks back across the field, all designed to occupy underneath zone defenders. The HB releases out of the backfield on a wheel route up the sideline, which is the primary read against man coverage or if a linebacker or safety fails to carry him deep.
Defensive Reads
Pre snap, identify whether a linebacker or safety is aligned over the HB, since that defender is responsible for carrying the wheel route Check corner depth on the outside receivers, tight press alignment signals man coverage and a green light for the fade route Post snap, watch for a user controlled linebacker sinking into the flat or wheel lane, which kills this play instantly and forces you to the deep in or fade Against zone shells with two deep safeties, the deep in over the middle becomes the higher percentage throw since the wheel will run into help Beware of nano blitzes or fire zone pressure off the edge, since the HB releasing on the wheel leaves the quarterback without an extra blocker in max protect situations
Usage Tips
Look for man coverage indicators pre snap such as corners lined up in press or a linebacker shaded over the HB, since this play is designed to exploit man matchups on the wheel route
Motion the HB before the snap if your version allows it to see if a defender follows, confirming man coverage and setting up an easy wheel win
Use this on early downs or in play action heavy sequences to keep the defense honest, then hit the fade against single high shells when the corner bites on the wheel fake
Pair this with 45 Quick Base or Curl Flats from the same set so the defense has to respect quick underneath throws before you take the top off with the wheel
If the defense shows zone drops with linebackers sitting in hook areas, prioritize the fade or the deep in over the wheel since the flat defender will have an easy path to the HB
