Playbooks
Breakdown
Zipper HB Slip Screen is a screen pass out of Shotgun Tight Open with 11 personnel that sells dropback pass before slipping the ball to the HB. Both outside receivers push vertical clearout routes to the boundary to pull corners and safeties away from the middle of the field while the offensive line invites the pass rush upfield before releasing to set up screen blockers ahead of the HB. The HB slides into the boundary flat behind the retreating linemen as the lone underneath route. The primary read is the HB screen itself: get the linemen out in front, let the clearouts take coverage deep, and deliver quick to the back before the interior rush closes the window.
Defensive Reads
Watch for a spy or scraping linebacker who stays home instead of rushing, since that defender is the primary threat to blow up the screen before blockers arrive. Man coverage on the outside receivers is a green light, their clearout routes will pull defenders vertically and leave the flat open for the HB. Zone shells with linebackers sitting in shallow hook or curl zones can sink and jump the screen route, so avoid this against teams that consistently drop into a soft zone look. Edge rushers who read screen and peel off quickly can disrupt the timing, look for defenders with fast eyes on the backfield rather than pure upfield rush. User controlled defenders lurking near the line of scrimmage are the biggest danger, since a human spy can jump the throw before the linemen get out in front.
Usage Tips
Call this against aggressive four man or five man rush looks where the front is crashing hard upfield off the snap, since that rush momentum is what makes the screen blockers effective.
Check pre-snap for man coverage on the outside receivers, their vertical clearouts drag corners deep and open the flat for the HB with no immediate underneath defender in the way.
Hot route the backside clearout into a shorter comeback if you see zone drops sitting shallow, since zone linebackers can sit on the screen and squat in the flat.
Pair this with Inside Zone or HB Draw from the same personnel look so defenses respect the run fake and bite on the interior rush before you hit them with the screen.
Use this on early downs or after a hard inside run play to slow down linebacker screen recognition and buy the blockers time to get set up in front of the HB.
