Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
HB Power out of Shotgun Trips TE Offset Wk is a downhill gap scheme run play designed to get the HB moving laterally before turning upfield behind a pulling guard. The diagram shows three receivers stacked to the trips side running vertical releases to clear out defenders and hold corners deep, while the offset TE and offensive line execute down blocks with a puller kicking out the edge defender. The HB takes a lead step toward the trips side before pressing the hole created by the pulling lineman, so the primary read progression is playside guard pull, then the HB reading the kickout block to decide between bending it back or bouncing outside.
Defensive Reads
Watch for a Mike linebacker cheating toward the play call pre-snap, that usually signals a run blitz or gap exchange designed to beat the pulling guard Identify if the defense is in a 4-3 under or over front, stacked fronts with an extra man on the line can outnumber the blocking scheme and blow up the pull Key the playside defensive end and outside linebacker, if they stay square and do not crash inside they can string the play out before the puller arrives User the strong safety down into the box on early downs since Power often struggles against an extra hat in the alley reading the pulling lineman Man coverage with inside linebackers spying the backfield can beat this concept quickly since it removes the natural cutback lanes created by zone leverage
Usage Tips
Check the box count before the snap and only call HB Power into light boxes with six or fewer defenders in the run fit
Use the trips side vertical releases as a pre-snap indicator, if the defense rolls a safety over top or shows two high shell it usually means one less run defender in the box
Hot route the trips receivers into quick hitches or drags on early downs to keep defenders honest without abandoning the run concept
Pair HB Power with Bounce Inside Zone and RPO Pin Alert Bubble in the same set so defenders cannot sit on one gap scheme, forcing linebackers to respect both the downhill hit and the bounce
Best used on early downs and short yardage or goal line situations where you want to dictate tempo and force the defense to commit extra defenders to the box
