Playbooks

HB Slip Screen

Screen Pass Hb Screen Pass Play Deep Cross Crosser Fade Seam Streak

Receiver routes

Depth-chart slots are shown as they line up in the base package for this set.

See this play with a team's players

Player	Side	Route
HB1	Left	Slip Screen
SLWR	Right	Deep Cross
WR1	Left	Fade
WR2	Right	Streak
SLWR2	Right	Seam Read

Read progression

HB1 left, Slip Screen
SLWR right, Deep Cross or WR1 left, Fade or WR2 right, Streak or SLWR2 right, Seam Read

Breakdown

HB Slip Screen out of Shotgun Trips HB Wk lines up three receivers to one side with the HB set weak, and on the snap the three trips receivers push vertically upfield to clear out the underneath defenders while the offensive line slides to sell run flow away from the screen. The HB slips out behind the leaking linemen for a delayed screen to the weak side, with pulling blockers setting up in front of him to create a lane. This is a pure screen play designed to beat aggressive man coverage and blitz packages, since the vertical releases from the trips side occupy defensive backs and the delayed release freezes pass rushers who overcommit to the QB. The primary read progression is a single option: the QB looks off toward the trips side release momentarily, then dumps the ball to the HB in the flat once the screen blockers are in position.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, identify if the defense shows blitz or a wide nine alignment on the defensive ends, since those fast upfield rushers are the exact defenders this screen is designed to exploit. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if they sit at or near the line of scrimmage instead of dropping, they can be a scheme fit to blow up the screen by staying home or spying the backfield. Man coverage on the trips side is a green light since those defenders will chase their assignments deep and leave the weak side flat wide open for the HB. If you are on defense, user control a linebacker or safety and key the HB immediately at the snap rather than biting on the offensive line run action, since the pulling blockers are the tell that a screen is coming. Cover 3 or Cover 4 zone shells with disciplined underneath linebackers who sink and read the backfield are the best defensive answer, since they can rally to the flat before the screen blockers get set.

Usage Tips

Call this play when you see pre-snap indicators of man coverage or a heavy blitz look, since aggressive defensive linemen and blitzing linebackers will run themselves out of the play. Use it on early downs or after establishing the pass to keep defenses honest, since defenders keying on run action or a fast pass rush get sucked upfield. Hold the ball for a beat after the snap to let your linemen get out in front before throwing, do not panic and throw it immediately even if the play looks open. Pair this with HB Angle Screen and Bubble Screen in the same set to condition the defense to respect quick throws, then mix in Verticals or Four Verticals to punish overaggressive linebacker and safety rotations. Avoid calling this against disciplined zone defenses that keep linebackers at home, since spy technique or zone drops into the flat can blow this up before the blockers get set.