Playbooks

Trips TE Flex

Shotgun·11

Specialists3DRBGadgetSLWR

Set alignment for Trips TE Flex from Shotgun in Madden 27

At a Glance

FormationShotgun

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

Plays25

In 19 playbooks

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Overview

Trips TE Flex is an 11 personnel look out of Shotgun. It stacks three receivers to the strong side and flexes the tight end off the line as the inside receiver of the trips. A lone X receiver is isolated on the backside, and the running back sits beside the quarterback. Standard Trips sets use a slot wide receiver as the #3. This set puts your TE in that spot instead, so the defense has to decide whether a linebacker, a safety, or a nickel corner carries him vertically. That personnel choice is the core of the set. You get a bigger, more physical inside target working against second and third level defenders while your SLWR and outside receiver stretch the coverage horizontally.

The formation creates coverage stress in two directions. To the trips side, the flexed TE combines with the slot and outside receiver on true three level concepts like Levels Sail, Double In Sail, Dagger, and Y Corner Stop. These put Cover 3 and Cover 4 defenders in conflict. On the backside, the isolated X gets one on one looks when the defense rotates coverage to the passing strength. That makes Mtn Hitch N Go, Post Rail, and backside fades dangerous against single high man. The Mtn tagged plays (Mtn Fork H Choice, Mtn Y Post, Mtn Hitch N Go) come with built in motion that shifts the strength and forces the defense to communicate pre-snap.

The set carries real weight in the run and RPO game. With the TE detached, box counts get light. Inside Zone, Outside Zone, Same Side Zone, HB Draw, and Read Option attack six man fronts, and RPO Zone Alert Omaha lets you punish a defense that walks a defender down. The 3DRB tag shows up in HB Angle, HB Slip Screen, Charger Wheel, and Scat. Those plays turn the running back into a primary receiver against linebackers. The Gadget tag reflects how many misdirection and option looks you can show from one alignment.

Strengths

The flexed TE as the #3 receiver creates a natural mismatch against linebackers and safeties in man coverage, and concepts like TE In and Y Out N Up let you isolate him vertically or on a break outside.
Levels Sail, Double In Sail, and Dagger give you complete three level zone beaters that stress Cover 3 flat and curl defenders and Cover 4 safeties who bite on the dig or in route.
The isolated backside X lets you check coverage before the snap: if the defense rotates to trips, Mtn Hitch N Go and Post Rail give you a one on one shot, and a quick fade hot route is always available.
The 3DRB package (HB Angle, Charger Wheel, Scat, HB Slip Screen) makes the running back a real man beater against linebackers and a counter to aggressive blitz looks.
The light box from the detached TE sets up a full zone run game plus Read Option and RPO Zone Alert Omaha, so defenses cannot sit in two high shells and drop eight without paying for it on the ground.

Weaknesses

With the TE flexed out, you have only five offensive linemen and the RB for protection, so overload and nano blitzes off the trips side edge can get home before deeper concepts like Verticals or PA Crossers develop.
A user-controlled middle linebacker or hook defender sitting in the TE's inside lane can take away TE In, Stick, and the dig in Dagger, which removes the most common reads in the set.
Defenses that bracket the flexed TE and play Cover 2 Man or Cover 6 toward trips can take away the matchup advantage while leaving a safety over the top of the backside X.
Run plays lose a lead blocker at the point of attack, so heavy fronts with a walked down safety can blow up Outside Zone and Same Side Zone before the RB reaches the edge.
The trips alignment signals pass strength clearly, and opponents who key on the formation can sit on flat routes and bail corners against the sail and levels concepts.

Usage Tips

Before the snap, count the box and read the safety rotation: six or fewer defenders means Inside Zone, Read Option, or RPO Zone Alert Omaha, and a rotated safety toward trips means a quick check to Mtn Hitch N Go or a fade hot route on the backside X.

On 3rd and medium against man, audible to Stick, Scat, or Charger Wheel and target whoever the linebackers are covering, whether that is the flexed TE or the 3DRB out of the backfield.

Against Cover 3 on early downs, call Levels Sail or Double In Sail and read flat to corner to in, and hot route the RB to a block and release if you see pressure off the trips edge.

After you establish HB Draw or Inside Zone, call PA Crossers and PA Fork to pull up linebackers and hit crossers behind them, and roll out away from the blitz side for extra time.

Against heavy blitz looks, call HB Slip Screen or slide protection toward the trips side, and consider a quick slant hot route on the SLWR to beat pressure before it arrives.