Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Shock HB Option is a pass play out of Shotgun Trey Open with 11 personnel that stresses the defense vertically and horizontally off a single formation look. The backside X runs a deep vertical to occupy the far cornerback and safety, while the HB releases out of the backfield on an option route that breaks outside for a quick outlet against pressure or blitzes. On the trips side, the inside slot runs a short in cutting underneath, the middle receiver climbs on a deep corner route, and the outside TE/WR runs a sharp out breaking route to the flat, creating a natural high low stretch on the boundary defender. The primary read starts with the HB option route as your hot outlet against pressure, then progresses to the flat route and corner route on the trips side, using the deep X route to hold the backside safety honest.
Defensive Reads
Read the strong side safety before the snap, if he is shaded over the trips side the corner route will be tougher to fit, so lean on the option route and flat combo instead. Watch the flat defender post snap, if he sinks under the out route the option route from the HB becomes the easiest completion versus zone drops. Identify blitz packages by checking the box count, a six man box or overload blitz off the edge means the HB option route becomes your immediate answer since it releases quickly into open space. Man coverage with a linebacker matched on the HB is a green light for the option route to break outside, since most linebackers cannot mirror the option break in space. Cover 3 or cover 4 shells with underneath zone defenders sitting at five yards can undercut the short in route, so look to the corner route or deep X route to attack the vacated deep half.
Usage Tips
Presnap, check if the defense shows two high safeties or rolls to single high, since the corner route on the trips side only opens up versus single high shells with the deep safety pulled away by the backside vertical.
Use motion or a hot route on the HB to adjust his option route depth if you see linebackers sitting shallow, this keeps his route from getting jumped by an underneath zone defender.
This play works best on second and medium to third and short because the option route and flat route give you a quick, high percentage completion if the defense blitzes.
Pair this call with Curls or Y Stick HB Angle from the same set to keep the defense guessing between quick game and the option concept, since both share the same backfield action and formation look.
Against man coverage, prioritize the corner route since it beats trail technique, and against zone, work the option route to backfield space where linebackers vacate.
