HB Slip Screen

Watch for defensive ends or edge rushers crashing hard upfield, since that widens the lane for your blockers and makes this a home run play against overaggressive pass rush. Key on linebacker depth at the snap, if they sit shallow and spy the backfield they can jump the screen and blow it up for a loss. Zone coverage shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4 with linebackers dropping into underneath zones are the main counter to this play, since a linebacker sitting in a hook zone can read the screen and undercut the throw. User controlled defenders spying the quarterback or lurking near the line of scrimmage are the biggest threat, so avoid calling this when you see a defender manually shading toward the backfield pre-snap. Cover 0 and all out blitz calls get punished hard by this concept since every extra rusher is another blocker working downfield with no safety help underneath.