Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Read Option out of Shotgun Flex Y Off lines up with 11 personnel and shows a zone read mesh point between the QB and HB just behind the line, with the offensive line stepping into a zone blocking scheme to the play side. The read keys the play side defensive end: if he crashes down on the HB, the QB pulls it and works the perimeter, and if the end stays wide to contain the QB, the QB hands it off into the alley created by the zone blocks. This is a base run play (zone read) with no route concept shown, designed to attack light boxes and gap discipline rather than beat man or zone coverage in the passing game.
Defensive Reads
Watch the play side defensive end first, if he sits and stays home on the QB the offense is forced into the give read every time. Scrape linebackers who fly downhill at the snap can blow up both the give and pull, so spying with a linebacker on the QB is a strong counter. Overloaded fronts with an extra defender to the play side take away the numbers advantage and force a cutback the offense does not want. Contain defenders who stay disciplined on the edge and refuse to crash eliminate the pull option and bait the QB into handing off into a stacked box. User the play side end manually and key the mesh point rather than committing early, since a premature crash gets exploited by the pull every snap.
Usage Tips
Check the box count before the snap and only run this into 6 or fewer defenders in the box to avoid a numbers disadvantage.
Identify the play side defensive end alignment pre-snap since he is the primary read, a wide 9-technique favors the give while a crashing 5-technique favors the QB pull.
Use manual motion or shifts to get a hard count and force the end to show his hand early so the mesh read is easier post-snap.
Pair this with RPO HB Zone Alert and RPO Alert HB Zone in the same drive so the defense has to respect both the pull and the quick bubble or slant window off the same look.
Best called on early downs or short yardage third downs where defenses are more likely to sit in base fronts instead of dime packages built to stop the QB run.
