Playbooks

Mid Zone

Shotgun·Trey Open HB Str·11
Run Play

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 4 playbooks

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Breakdown

Mid Zone out of Shotgun Trey Open HB Str is a zone blocking run play that stretches the point of attack toward the strength of the Trey formation before letting the HB find the crease. The offensive line executes zone steps and combo blocks, working double teams at the point of attack and climbing to the second level to seal off linebackers, while the HB reads the flow of the defensive line rather than hitting a predetermined gap. The primary read progression starts with the frontside double team, then bounces to the backside cutback lane if the frontside gets clogged, making this a true one cut and go zone scheme rather than a gap or power concept.

Defensive Reads

Check the linebacker depth pre-snap, if they are stacked tight to the line in a run blitz alignment, expect an aggressive fill that can be countered by bouncing the run backside immediately at the mesh point. Watch the defensive ends and edge defenders, if they are crashing hard down the line on snap, the backside cutback lane opens up and the HB should press that edge rather than staying frontside. Identify the safety rotation before the snap, a single high safety with stacked corners usually signals man coverage support in the box, which means user controlled defenders may crash the line hard and leave the cutback vulnerable to a quick decisive read. Nano blitz packages and interior stunts can blow up Mid Zone at the mesh point, so if you see a defensive tackle looping or a linebacker shooting an A gap presnap, be ready to check to a quick RPO or bail into a pass concept. Against a light box with only five defenders in the tackle box, the zone blocking scheme wins immediately, but if the defense loads the box to seven or eight with a safety creeping down, abandon Mid Zone and attack through the RPO or play action options in this set instead.

Usage Tips

Run this out of 11 personnel when you have shown pass looks from Trey Open HB Str earlier in the drive so the defense respects play action and stays honest against the run box.

Use pre-snap motion or a quick glance at the second level to check if linebackers are sitting flat footed at snap, since Mid Zone thrives when the front seven is slow to diagnose flow.

Attack light boxes against nickel or dime personnel, especially when the defense shows two high safeties, since that usually means only five or six defenders in the run fit.

Pair this play with RPO Zone Alert Smoke and RPO Zone Peek Bubble from the same set so the defense has to respect both the zone run action and the perimeter throw off identical formation and motion.

On third and short or second and medium, call Mid Zone after running Inside Zone once or twice to condition the defense to crash inside, then let the HB bounce it if the backside is soft.

Other Plays in Trey Open HB Str