Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Empty Mtn WR Mid Screen is a WR screen out of an empty backfield look in the Spread Dbl Flex Wk set. Pre-snap motion brings the outer receiver in short, while the inside slot receiver releases outside then breaks back inside and underneath to become the screen target as blockers set up a wall in front of him. Up front, the offensive line releases downfield to get bodies on second level defenders, and this is a designed man and zone beater against light box looks since it attacks defenders who bite on the underneath route or crash on the motion. The primary read progression is the screen receiver first, working from the blockers stacking outside in to spring him after the catch.
Defensive Reads
Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if they are sitting shallow or crashing hard on run action they will be out of position once the screen develops. Key the flow of the second level defenders after the snap, aggressive downhill pursuit toward the line of scrimmage is exactly what this screen is designed to exploit. Identify zone shells with soft underneath coverage, since zone defenders reading run or dropping deep leave the screen lane wide open for the blockers to work. Look for a user-controlled defender sitting in a shallow lurk or spy technique near the screen side, a disciplined lurk can jump the route and blow the play up for a loss. Man coverage that follows the motion receiver tightly can still get beat if the defender loses outside leverage, so track whether the corner or nickel trails or plays over the top.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify if the defense is playing man or zone, if a defender follows the motion man across the formation you know you are getting man coverage and the screen has a clean angle to work.
Snap the ball quickly after motion to catch second level defenders still adjusting their leverage, this gives your blockers a better angle to seal off pursuit.
Call this on early downs or after a string of inside runs to bait linebackers into fast downhill flow, then let the screen exploit their overaggression.
Pair this with Empty Mtn Y Cross or Mtn Cross Choice in your play-calling sequence so the defense respects vertical shots downfield and cannot sit on screen tendencies.
Avoid calling this against known blitz-heavy defenses unless you have seen them bring pressure from depth, since a well-timed inside blitz can blow up the screen before blockers get set.
