Playbooks
Overview
Trey Open HB Str is Shotgun's RPO hub in 11 personnel, stacking a three receiver trey side (X wide, slot, and the TE at the point of the surface) with a single receiver isolated to the weak side and the back aligned strong next to the QB. That HB alignment is the key differentiator from standard Trey Open looks: with the back set to the trey side, the zone read and QB Power blocking angles flow toward the numbers advantage, and the read defender on the backside is left unblocked and unaccounted for, which is exactly what the RPO menu in this set is built to punish.
The concentration of bodies on one side forces the defense to declare coverage strength pre-snap. If the defense rotates safety help to the trey side, the single receiver on the open side gets a pure one on one with no cap over the top, which turns RPO Alert Smoke, RPO Zone Alert Smoke, and Slot Fade into free yards against soft outside leverage or press with no help. If the defense stays balanced, the trey side gets a three on two or three on three window and Levels Switch, Scissors, Stick, and Drive Post carve up the intermediate zone with high low and crossing face route combos.
Beyond the passing tree, the set carries a legitimate ground identity. Inside Zone, Read Option, HB Mid Draw, and QB Power give you gap and zone runs from the same alignment, while RPO QB Alert Draw and RPO Zone Peek let you pull the ball and throw off the same run key. Mtn PA Flood and HB Slip Screen are your tempo changers once opponents start crashing edges and jumping the smoke read.
Strengths
- The RPO family (Zone Alert Smoke, Alert Smoke, Peek Bubble, Zone Peek Bubble, Peek Slant) lets you win pre-snap against soft outside corners and vacated flats without ever reading a defender post snap.
- Trey side flood and crossing concepts like Levels Switch, Scissors, and Drive Post shred Cover 3 and Cover 4 by attacking the curl to flat defender with two threats at different depths.
- The isolated single receiver is a built in man beater: hot route him to a slant, fade, or in and you have a clean one on one read against any single high shell with rotated help.
- Inside Zone, Read Option, QB Power, and HB Mid Draw all run out of the same alignment, so your run game keeps the defense honest while the RPO tags force second level defenders to freeze.
- Four Verticals and Fade Stop punish two high shells that squeeze the box, and the seam runner from the trey side often finds the hole between the hook defender and the deep third.
Weaknesses
- The RPO plays commit the line to run blocking, so overload blitzes and nano pressure off the weak side edge hit home before the pull read develops.
- Heavy trey side alignment tips your intentions to experienced users who simply rotate coverage strength and user the middle hook with a linebacker to eat the slant and bubble reads.
- Backside contain defenders on Read Option and RPO Zone Peek are easy to user control, which forces bad keeps and negative plays if you rely on the read too often.
- With only one receiver to the open side, there is no built in help if that corner presses and wins at the line, killing your Alert Smoke and Slot Fade options.
- The single TE means limited protection depth against 5 and 6 man rushes, and drop back concepts like Four Verticals leave the QB exposed if you do not chip or block the back.
Usage Tips
Read the corner over the isolated receiver before the snap: press with no safety cap means Slot Fade or a hot route fade, soft cushion with a wide alignment means take the Alert Smoke.
Motion the trey side slot inside or across to reveal man versus zone, then either hit the RPO tag against zone or work Scissors and Drive Post against man.
On second and short or third and short, stick with RPO Peek Slant or RPO QB Alert Draw so you always have a run or throw answer regardless of the box count.
Against Cover 3 or single high with a crashing box, run Levels Switch and target the underneath crosser over the vacated hook, then come back with Mtn PA Flood once they start jumping it.
Break blitz tendencies with HB Slip Screen after the defense sees your RPO looks twice in a row, and use Fade Stop to punish corners who start squatting on smoke and bubble reads.
