Playbooks

Same Side Zone

Shotgun·Trio Y-Flex·11

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 2 playbooks

Cowboys OffenseOffenseNFL Live Cowboys OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Same Side Zone out of Shotgun Trio Y-Flex is a zone run scheme that sends the offensive line and blocking assignments flowing toward the same side as the running back's alignment, creating a natural cutback lane away from the flow of the defense. The primary read for the ball carrier starts at the playside double team and works through the first and second level combo blocks, reading the flow of the linebackers to decide between the bounce, the bend, or the cutback lane. This is a base run play designed to attack light boxes and gap exchange mistakes rather than a pass concept, and it works best when defenses respect the play-action and RPO threats built into the rest of the Trio Y-Flex playbook.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, count the box defenders and identify whether the strong safety has rotated down into the run fit, since an eighth man in the box is the biggest threat to this concept. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if they scrape hard and flow fast to the play side, look for the cutback lane behind the zone flow. Man coverage shells with aggressive linebackers who flow downhill are the most vulnerable to this scheme because they overrun the zone blocking. Defenses that spy the running back or use a shade nose tackle to two-gap can clog the interior lanes and shut this play down quickly. Post-snap, key the playside defensive end and outside linebacker, if they crash hard inside on the zone flow it opens the bounce outside for a bigger gain.

Usage Tips

Check the box count before the snap and only run this into six or fewer defenders in the box to avoid getting stacked at the line.

Use this as your base run to set up RPO Alert Bubble and RPO Zone Alert Omaha later in the series once the defense starts cheating linebackers toward the run flow.

On early downs, pair Same Side Zone with Inside Zone to keep defenders guessing about which gap the zone scheme is actually attacking.

If the defense shows a walked down safety or heavy run blitz look, check away from this play into Mesh Dagger or Curl Flat to punish the aggressive alignment through the air.

Manually control the fullback or lead blocker if your personnel includes one so you can seal the edge defender and create an extra crease for the cutback lane.

Other Plays in Trio Y-Flex