Playbooks
Overview
Trips TE Offset Wk is an 11 personnel Shotgun set that stacks three receivers to the strong side, with the tight end as one of the trips pieces, while the halfback aligns offset to the weak side next to the quarterback. That backfield alignment is what separates it from standard Trips TE and Trips Y sets. With the HB offset away from the trips, every inside zone, read option, and RPO path aims toward the trips side, which forces the defense to honor both the numbers advantage outside and a downhill run into the strength of the formation. The lone X receiver backside gets a clean isolation, often against a single corner with no underneath help.
The tight end inside the trips is the key matchup lever. Defenses that stay in base personnel leave a linebacker or safety on the TE in the seam or corner, while nickel and dime looks give you a lighter box for Power, Inside Zone, and Outside Zone. The playbook is built around those conflicts: Read Y Corner and Switch Dagger stress safeties vertically, Flood Divide and PA Flood overload zone rotations, and the RPO Bubble family (RPO Read Bubble, RPO Pin Alert Bubble, RPO Read WR Screen) punishes defenses that fail to match numbers on the trips side.
The set also carries a deep gadget and movement package. Bounce and Return Sprint concepts relocate the pocket and flip the launch point, Fake Screen Wheel and RZ Rub Slot Wheel attack aggressive man defenders, and the HB Slip Screen and Return Sprint TE Screen punish heavy pressure. With tags for 3DRB, Power HB, and SLWR, the set rewards a versatile back who can run between the tackles and catch out of the backfield, plus a quick slot receiver who wins on bubbles, slants, and rubs.
Strengths
- Built-in RPO numbers game: RPO Read Bubble, RPO Pin Alert Bubble, and RPO Peek Slant let you pre-snap count the trips side and throw the bubble whenever the defense is short a defender outside, or hand it off into a light box.
- Elite vertical stress on single-high safeties: Verticals, PA Verts Shot, Read Y Corner, and Switch Dagger put the TE in the seam against linebackers while the backside X isolates on the corner, which beats Cover 1 and Cover 3 with clean reads.
- Flood concepts that shred Cover 3 and Cover 4 Palms: Flood Divide, PA Flood, Bounce PA Bubble Flood, and Sprint Curl Flat create three-level high-low reads that overload flat and curl defenders on the trips side.
- Strong man beaters out of a compressed trips look: RZ Rub Slot Wheel, Fake Screen Wheel, Middle Slant, and Bounce Shallow Cross create natural picks and leverage wins, especially with a SLWR in the slot.
- Versatile run game with backside HB alignment: Inside Zone, Outside Zone, HB Power, and Bounce Read Option attack the strength of the formation, and the offset HB creates cutback lanes when linebackers flow toward trips.
Weaknesses
- Backside overload blitzes are dangerous: with the HB offset weak and trips strong, a nano blitz or Mug look from the boundary can beat the RB pickup, especially on longer developing plays like PA Verts Shot and Verticals.
- The run tell is readable: because the HB aligns weak, savvy opponents key the direction of the mesh and slant their front toward the trips side, blowing up Inside Zone and Power before the lead blockers can get to the second level.
- Cover 2 Man and Cover 6 with a user on the TE can cap your best vertical options, taking away Read Y Corner and the seam while the lone X faces bracket help.
- Only one true blocker attached to the line in most looks, so edge pressure from a Wide 9 or overloaded DE alignment can collapse sprint and bounce concepts before the QB sets.
- Screen and bubble heavy tendencies get sniffed out: a user lurking in the flat or a cloud corner squatting on the trips side can jump RPO Read Bubble and RPO Read WR Screen for pick sixes if you lean on them.
Usage Tips
Count the box and the trips side pre-snap on every RPO: if the defense has two or fewer defenders over trips, throw the bubble; if they have six or fewer in the box, give the handoff; if a safety rotates down, check to PA Flood or Switch Dagger.
Against Cover 3 on 1st and 10 or 2nd and medium, call Flood Divide or Sprint Curl Flat and read the flat defender; if he widens with the bubble or flat route, hit the curl or sail route behind him.
When you see single-high man with press, audible to RZ Rub Slot Wheel or Fake Screen Wheel, or hot route the slot to a slant for a quick pick; in the red zone the rub is one of the most reliable man beaters in the set.
Versus heavy blitz looks on 3rd and long, check to HB Slip Screen or Return Sprint TE Screen, and consider hot routing the HB to block if the pressure comes from the weak side where he is aligned.
Mix Bounce Inside Zone and Bounce Read Option early to set up Bounce PA Bubble Flood and Bounce Shallow Cross later; the identical pre-snap look forces linebackers to hesitate and opens intermediate windows.
Plays (25)
Bounce Inside ZoneInside Zone, Motion, Run Play +1
Bounce PA Bubble FloodPlay Action, Flood, Motion +6
Bounce Read OptionRead Option, Motion, Run Play- Bounce Shallow CrossShallow Cross, Crosser, Drag +5
- Fake Screen WheelScreen Pass, Wheel, Bubble Screen +3
Flood DivideFlood, Pass Play, Cover 3 Beater +5
HB PowerPower, Run Play, Power Run
HB Slip ScreenScreen Pass, Hb Screen, Pass Play +4
Inside ZoneInside Zone, Run Play, Zone Run
Middle SlantSlant, Pass Play, Curl +4
Outside ZoneOutside Zone, Run Play, Zone Run
PA FloodPlay Action, Flood, Pass Play +6- PA Verts ShotBlock and Release, Post, Fade +6
Read Y CornerCorner, Pass Play, Curl +2- Return Sprint ComebackCorner, Flat, Hook +1
- Return Sprint SpotCorner, Flat, Pass Play
- Return Sprint TE ScreenScreen Pass, Bubble Screen, Corner +2
- RPO Peek SlantSlant, In, Pass Play +1
RPO Pin Alert BubbleRPO, Pass Play, Run Play +1
RPO Read BubbleRPO, Pass Play, Run Play +1- RPO Read WR ScreenScreen Pass, Bubble Screen, Pass Play +1
- RZ Rub Slot WheelWheel, Deep Cross, Crosser +2
- Sprint Curl FlatComeback, Corner, Speed Out +1
- Switch DaggerBlock and Release, Deep Cross, Crosser +3
VerticalsFour Verts, Pass Play, Cover 2 Beater +7
