Playbooks

HB Slip Screen

Shotgun·Trey Open·11
Likely unavailable in the playbook builder
This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 1 playbook

Air Raid Classic OffenseOffense

Breakdown

HB Slip Screen out of Shotgun Trey Open is a designed screen play that gets the running back leaking out to the flat behind a wall of blockers while the offensive line sells pass protection before releasing downfield. This is a blitz beater and zone beater at its core, punishing aggressive pass rush defenses and overplayed underneath zone drops that vacate the area near the line of scrimmage. The primary read is simple: get the ball out to the HB the moment he sits in the release lane, then trust your lead blockers to seal the alley before turning it upfield.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing man coverage with press corners or a soft zone shell, since aggressive man coverage with blitzing linebackers is exactly what this screen exploits. Watch for a spy or a linebacker who stays home instead of rushing, since a disciplined spy defender can jump the screen lane and blow up the play before it develops. Post-snap, track any user controlled defender flowing toward the screen side immediately, as a smart human opponent will often sit and wait for the HB release rather than committing to the rush. Nano blitzes and interior overloads are the biggest weakness for this defense to exploit against, since the extra rushers create natural running lanes once they overcommit upfield. Zone coverage with disciplined linebacker drops that stay square to the line can sit on the screen and force a checkdown into traffic, so avoid this concept against teams that consistently show Tampa 2 or Cover 3 sink drops.

Usage Tips

Call this play when you see linebackers creeping toward the line pre-snap or when the defense shows heavy blitz indicators like stacked fronts or safeties rotating down into the box.

Let the screen develop fully before throwing, do not rush the release or you will throw it right into a defender still in his pass rush lane.

Use this play as a changeup after running Curls, Double Ins, or Quick Slants from the same set to condition the defense to expect a quick dropback passing concept.

On third and short or second and medium, this is a great way to counter a defense keying on the run or expecting a shotgun dropback shot play.

If the CPU or user defender diagnoses the screen quickly and starts spying the HB, counter later in the drive with HB Draw or Inside Zone from the same formation to keep the front guessing.

Other Plays in Trey Open