Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Fake Screen Wheel is a play-action deep shot built off the look of a screen pass out of Shotgun Trips TE Offset. The diagram shows two receivers releasing vertically from the same area near the line, with one running a wheel route up the sideline (red) and the other pushing straight downfield on a vertical seam (yellow), while the offensive line sells the screen fake to freeze linebackers and pull safeties toward the flat. This is a man beater designed to exploit corners and safeties who bite on the underneath screen action, and the primary read progression starts with the wheel route breaking open against a defender who jumps the fake before working to the vertical route if the wheel gets squeezed.
Defensive Reads
Watch for cornerbacks and linebackers crashing downhill immediately after the snap, since that flow indicates they are keying the screen fake and will be out of position on the wheel. Identify single high safety looks pre-snap, since a lone deep defender has to choose between the wheel and the vertical route, creating a numbers advantage for the offense. Zone shells with two deep safeties and disciplined linebackers who sit in their drops will limit this play, since they will not bite on the fake and can rally to both vertical routes. Post-snap, track any user-controlled defender who abandons a deep zone assignment to jump the screen action, as that is the exact leverage this play is designed to exploit. If the defense shows blitz pressure with man coverage behind it, expect the wheel route defender to have inside help taken away, making the vertical route the better answer against that look.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or in play-action heavy sequences after you have already shown a real screen pass to condition the defense to bite on the fake.
Check for man coverage indicators pre-snap such as corners lined up tight with no safety help over the top, since the wheel route thrives against man defenders who trigger downhill on the screen action.
Use the wheel as your first read since it attacks the leverage of any defender who steps up on the fake, and progress to the vertical route if the wheel is capped by a deep half safety.
Pair this play with RPO Alert Screen or RPO Trap Alert Bubble earlier in a drive so the defense sees legitimate screen concepts and is more likely to jump the fake on this call.
Best used on second or third and medium distance when defenses are more willing to sell out on underneath stops, giving you a bigger explosive play window over the top.
