Playbooks

Orbit Fake Screen Wheel

Shotgun·Spread Y-Slot·11

Diagram coming soon

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetSpread Y-Slot

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 2 playbooks

Broncos OffenseOffense NFL Live Broncos OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Orbit Fake Screen Wheel is a play-action style screen fake designed to bait aggressive user defenders and linebackers into flowing toward the orbit motion man before he breaks upfield on a wheel route. The offensive line shows screen blocking to sell the fake, while the wheel route man works down the sideline for a big play if the defense bites on the screen action. This is primarily a man beater against defenses that key on the motion man and try to jump the screen, and the primary read progression starts with the wheel route out of the backfield motion before working to any secondary underneath option.

Defensive Reads

Watch the flow of linebackers and slot defenders at the snap, if they crash hard toward the screen side the wheel route behind them is wide open for a explosive gain. Identify press man coverage on the motion man before the snap, since press corners who jump the screen fake get beat immediately on the wheel release. Check safety depth and rotation, a single high safety who bites on run or screen action leaves the deep sideline vacated for the wheel to exploit. Look for user controlled defenders flying downhill on the screen fake, since that lurk instinct is exactly what this concept is designed to punish. Against disciplined zone defenses with a deep half safety staying home and linebackers reading their zone drops instead of the fake, this play is far less effective and can result in the wheel getting picked off by a trailing zone defender.

Usage Tips

Motion the orbit man pre-snap and watch how the defense reacts, if a linebacker or defensive back cheats toward the flat expecting the screen you have a green light to attack the wheel immediately after the snap.

Use this play on early downs or in obvious screen-tendency situations where the defense has shown a habit of jumping bubble or orbit screens in previous series, since the wheel fake capitalizes on that conditioning.

Pair this play in a sequence with Orbit Cross Screen and RPO Alert Orbit Swing earlier in the game so the defense gets trained to sell hard on the screen action, making the wheel fake far more effective later.

Against man coverage, take a peek at the slot corner or nickel defender assigned to the motion man, if he trails tight to the line of scrimmage anticipating a screen the wheel route will separate quickly downfield.

Avoid calling this on third and long against zone heavy defenses that sit back, since the wheel fake loses value when defenders are not aggressively flowing to the ball.