Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
FB Inside is a downhill dive run out of Shotgun Split Slot Open with 20 personnel, putting the fullback in the backfield as the primary ball carrier. The offensive line blocks a standard interior gap scheme, with double team combo blocks up front designed to seal the initial gap at the point of attack while the fullback presses the hole between the guards and takes the handoff straight ahead. This is a pure run play with no route concept attached, meant to punish light boxes and overaggressive linebacker flow with a quick hitting inside gap read.
Defensive Reads
Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if the mike and will are sitting shallow and stacked over the center this play gets stopped for minimal gain. Look for base 4-3 or 3-4 fronts with two gap defensive tackles, since a clogged interior with a nose tackle reading the mesh point kills this run before it starts. Identify blitz packages that send extra defenders through the A and B gaps, since FB Inside has no answer for a numbers disadvantage in the box. Post snap, key the linebacker fill speed, if they are downhill and unblocked immediately the fullback has nowhere to go and you should abandon this look on the next call. Against nano blitz pressure or interior stunts, this play gets erased quickly, so save it for defenses playing base fronts or light boxes out of nickel and dime coverage shells.
Usage Tips
Check the box count before the snap and only call this against six defenders or fewer in the box, since the fullback has no blocking help if extra defenders are stacked inside.
Use this as a change of pace after establishing outside zone or HB runs like HB Off Tackle or HB Sweep Wk so linebackers start flowing wide and open up the inside crease.
User the fullback and trust your line to climb to the second level, then make one hard cut based on which gap opens rather than trying to bounce it outside.
This works best on short yardage and second and short since the play design is a quick hitting north south dive with minimal east west deception.
Pair this with RPO Peek Slant or RPO Zone Peek in your play calling script so the defense has to respect both the dive action and the quick pass answer off similar formation alignment.
