Playbooks
Duo Offset
At a Glance
In 1 playbook
Overview
Duo Offset is a Shotgun set built around an offset back and a condensed three receiver surface, which separates it from balanced Shotgun sets that spread receivers to the numbers. The back aligns to one side of the quarterback rather than directly behind him, giving you a built in run strength declaration and a free release into the flat or the wheel lane on passing concepts. The tighter alignment of the slot and the attached wing pulls a defender inside the numbers, which means the isolated X receiver on the backside is living on an island against whatever coverage the defense checks into.
The play list is heavily RPO and jet motion weighted, which is what makes this set a problem for defenses that rely on pre-snap reads. RPO Alert Bubble, RPO Alert Slant, and RPO Alert HB Flat all give you a run action with a built in throw, so you can punish a defense that is loading the box without ever needing to audible. Jet HB Punch, Jet Touch Pass, and Jet PA HB Seam layer horizontal motion on top of that, forcing linebackers to flow and opening the cutback and the seam behind them. Duo Offset and Inside Zone give you the downhill gap and one cut run game the set is named for.
On the dropback side you get a clean mix of high low and deep progression concepts. Double Snag and Slot Cross are your quick answers versus man and Cover 3 flats, X Dig and Slot Post attack the intermediate hole in Cover 2 and Cover 4, and PA Wheelies, PA Rollout, PA Scissors, and Levels HB Wheel use the offset back and play action to hold second level defenders before hitting behind them. HB Slip Screen and Speed Option punish aggressive edge pressure and wide user blitzes.
Strengths
- RPO Alert Bubble, RPO Alert Slant, and RPO Alert HB Flat let you read the box count post snap, so stacked run fits get punished without a pre-snap audible or motion tell
- The offset back releases free to the strong side, making Levels HB Wheel and PA Wheelies elite man beaters against Cover 1 with a linebacker matched on the back
- Jet motion plays (Jet HB Punch, Jet Touch Pass, Jet PA HB Seam) force linebacker flow and open the cutback lane plus the vacated seam behind zone droppers
- Double Snag and Slot Cross create natural traffic and rub action inside the condensed surface, which shreds Cover 1 press and any man heavy scheme
- The isolated X gives you a one on one every snap, so X Dig and Slot Post become high percentage reads once you identify the safety rotation pre-snap
Weaknesses
- The offset back declares your protection side, so a user controlled edge rusher or nano off the opposite side gets home before the back can cross the formation to help
- Condensed alignment means less horizontal spacing, so Cover 2 and quarters defenses can squeeze the intermediate window on X Dig and Slot Post with minimal movement
- Heavy RPO and jet usage builds a tendency fast, and an opponent who users the alert defender will sit on the bubble and the slant read all game
- PA Rollout, PA Scissors, and Jet PA HB Seam are slow developing, leaving you exposed to inside blitz pressure with only five in protection
- Speed Option and the gap run game struggle against tight run fits with a shaded defensive line and a crashing user linebacker
Usage Tips
Read the box count pre-snap on the RPO Alert plays: if the defense has an extra hat in the box, take the bubble or the slant instead of handing it off
Call Duo Offset and Inside Zone early to force the defense to respect the run, then hit PA Wheelies and Jet PA HB Seam off the same look in the same drive
Against Cover 1 man, hot route the isolated X to a slant or a fade and work him first, since the condensed side pulls the underneath defenders away from him
Use HB Slip Screen and Speed Option specifically when you see a user controlled edge defender crashing wide or a blitz tell from the opposite side of the back
Flip the set or motion the back to change your protection side when you have identified where the opponent is bringing pressure from
On third and medium, Double Snag and Slot Cross give you two clean man beaters with rub action, and you can hot route the back to a flat as your safety valve
