Playbooks
At a Glance
Overview
Empty Base Trio is a Shotgun empty set built from 11 personnel. It clears the backfield entirely by splitting the running back out as a receiver and stacks three receivers to one side with a two receiver side opposite. Standard Shotgun sets keep a back beside the quarterback for protection and run threat. Empty Base Trio trades that away for five immediate eligible targets and a stretched defense. The trio side usually features the tight end or slot receiver in the middle of the bunch alignment, while the backside pairs an outside receiver with the split running back. Defenses have to declare their coverage and pressure plans before the snap.
The personnel alignment is where the set creates its matchup advantages. With the running back lined up wide, defenses often cover him with a linebacker, and plays like Hoss Juke, Wheel Cross, and Verticals H Option attack that mismatch directly. The trio side floods one half of the field and forces the defense to rotate a safety or bring a third defender over. That rotation isolates the single receiver on the backside against press or off man coverage. Your SLWR and 3DRB tagged players become the focal points, especially on Slot Shake, Slot Fade Cross, and Drag Slot Fade.
Conceptually, the set enables quick game timing throws (Slants, Double Slant Stick, All Hitch, Stick Nod), high low zone reads (Shock Levels, Curl Combo, Divide Double In), vertical stretch concepts (Deep Attack, Drive Switch Seams), and perimeter screens (Bubble Screen, X Mid Screen). QB Draw provides the only true run threat, which makes it a surprise weapon against defenses that drop eight or spy poorly. The set is an ideal answer to base defenses that cannot match five eligible receivers in space.
Strengths
- The split running back draws linebacker coverage in man, and Hoss Juke, Wheel Cross, and Verticals H Option exploit that mismatch with a 3DRB who wins option routes and wheels against slower defenders
- The trio alignment overloads one side against Cover 3 and Cover 4, and Shock Levels, Curl Combo, and Divide Double In create clean high low and horizontal reads on the flat defender and hook curl players
- The quick game man beaters are deep: Slants, Double Slant Stick, Slot Shake, and Slot Fade Cross all have a break inside or a double move that beats press and off man without needing a hot route
- The empty look forces the defense to show its hand before the snap, so you can identify blitzers, man versus zone, and single versus two high safeties before you choose a hot route or audible
- Bubble Screen and X Mid Screen punish defenses that play soft or blitz heavily off the edge, and the Gadget tag lets you get the ball to a playmaker in space against a thinned out box
Weaknesses
- There is no running back in protection, so a five man pressure leaves the quarterback with pure hot reads, and a nano blitz or Cover 0 overload gets home before most intermediate routes finish
- The run threat is limited to QB Draw, so opponents can drop seven or eight into coverage and put a user controlled defender in the middle of the field without worrying about the ground game
- A user controlled linebacker or safety sitting in the hook zone can jump Slants, Stick Nod, and Double Slant Stick, and the empty spacing makes these throws very predictable on third and short
- Bracket coverage or a Cover 2 man shell with a rotated safety can take away the trio side, and that leaves you forcing throws into the backside isolation
- The tight end and running back split wide cannot help chip edge rushers, so defenses with elite pass rushers can win one on one against your tackles and collapse the pocket quickly
Usage Tips
Before every snap, motion or read the defender aligned over the split running back: a linebacker means man coverage and a Hoss Juke or Wheel Cross mismatch, while a corner or deep safety shift signals zone and calls for Shock Levels or Curl Combo
Against a heavy blitz look, audible to Slants, Double Slant Stick, or Bubble Screen, or hot route a quick slant to the backside receiver so you have an immediate answer when you lose the extra blocker
On third and medium, Stick Nod and Divide Double In give you a quick sticks read with a built in double move for defenders who sit on the first break, so read the flat defender and throw off his leverage
When you see soft zone with the linebackers dropped deep, call QB Draw with a mobile quarterback, since empty spreads the box and the draw hits the vacated middle, especially after a few consecutive dropbacks
Use Deep Attack and Drive Switch Seams against single high safety looks to put the post safety in conflict, and consider hot routing the backside receiver to a streak to hold the corner and open the seams
Plays (21)
- All CurlCurl, Hitch, Pass Play
All HitchHitch, Pass Play- Bubble ScreenScreen Pass, Bubble Screen, Hitch +2
Curl ComboCurl, Pass Play, Flat
Deep AttackPass Play, Four Verts, Go +6
Divide Double InIn, Pass Play, Curl +2
Double Slant StickSlant, Stick, Stick Concept +3
Drag Slot FadeFade, Pass Play, Corner +4
Drive Switch SeamsDrive, Pass Play, Cover 4 Beater +5
Hitches Slot InHitch, Pass Play, Corner +3
Hoss JukePass Play, Four Verts, Go +6
QB DrawDraw, Qb Draw, Designed Qb Run +1- Shock LevelsHitch, In, Streak +1
Shock Slot OptionOption Route, Motion, Pass Play +3
SlantsSlant, Pass Play, Flat
Slot Fade CrossFade, Pass Play, Crosser +4
Slot ShakePass Play, Quick Pass, Out +7
Stick NodStick, Stick Concept, Pass Play +4
Verticals H OptionOption Route, Four Verts, Pass Play +8- Wheel CrossWheel, Crosser, Deep Cross +3
X Mid ScreenScreen Pass, Pass Play, Bubble Screen
