Playbooks
At a Glance
Overview
Trips HB Wk is a 10 personnel gun set that stacks three receivers to one side with the halfback aligned weak, opposite the trips. That single detail changes everything about how defenses have to fit the field. Most trips looks in Shotgun put the back to the strength or in a straight dot behind the quarterback, which lets defenses spin coverage one way and slide protection the same way. Here the back sits away from the bunch, giving you a natural checkdown and swing threat into the vacated weak flat while the defense is busy rotating safeties and matching numbers to the three receiver side.
Strengths
- Trips side floods on Deep Flood, Flood Switch Fade, and Pitt Flood Switch stress Cover 3 curl flat defenders with three level stretches, and the weak back gives you a free release swing if the flat defender squats.
- Isolated backside X on Zona Fade, Close Zona Fade, 61 X Choice, and Pitt Z Streak lets you win one on one against man press with a true SLWR body, and streak or fade hot routes off the trips side clear the deep third for it.
- Mesh Spot, Inside Cross, Drive, Pitt X Drag, and Mtn Slot Cross give you a full menu of man beaters with natural rubs off the three receiver alignment, which is the fastest way to punish Cover 1 robber users.
- Zone beaters are equally deep: Spacing, Curls, All Curl, Slot Hitch, Dbl Comeback, and Levels sit receivers in the soft spots of Cover 3 and Cover 4 without asking the quarterback to hold the ball.
- Gadget and RPO tags open Read Option, RPO Alert Bubble, Bubble Screen, and PA QB Choice, so a mobile quarterback forces the weakside end and second level defenders to be honest against 10 personnel.
Weaknesses
- Five man protection with the back leaking on screens and swings means A gap and weakside pressure gets home fast, especially against nano blitzes overloading the side the back vacates.
- Running the ball out of 10 personnel with HB Off Tackle, HB Base, Inside Zone, and HB Mid Draw asks light boxes to cooperate, and a good opponent will simply user a linebacker in the box and dare you to stay on schedule.
- The trips alignment tips your intent, so opponents can cloud the strong side, play match quarters, and take away the entire three receiver read with one pre snap adjustment.
- Screens are heavily represented (HB Slip Screen, WR Mid Screen, Double Screen, Bubble Screen), and once you show them, a user defender sitting in the flat will jump every one of them for a pick six.
- No tight end means no extra chip help, so speed rushers off the weak edge get one on one with a tackle every single snap.
Usage Tips
Read the safety count first: two high shells point you toward Inside Zone, Read Option, or HB Mid Draw with a light box, while single high tells you to attack with Four Verticals, Verticals, Deep Stick, or the isolated backside fade concepts.
On third and medium, live in Stick, Dragon Stick, Close Zona Stick Flat, Deep Stick, and Mesh Spot, then hot route the weak back on a flat or angle route as your built in blitz answer.
Motion the inside trips receiver across the formation before the snap to diagnose man versus zone, then check to Quick Slants, Levels, or Levels Switch against man and Spacing, Curls, or Curl Flat Corner against zone.
Against heavy pressure, block the back and hot route the number three trips receiver on a slant so you have a one read throw into the vacated area, or call HB Slip Screen to make blitzers pay for chasing.
Use Middle Slam, Inside Switch, and Mesh Wheel in the red zone where the compressed field limits deep zone help and rub concepts create instant separation on the goal line.
