Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Read Option out of Shotgun Trips TE lines up with three receivers stacked to one side and a tight end plus running back forming the mesh point in the backfield next to the QB, exactly as shown in the diagram. The yellow arrow shows the QB reading down the line to the mesh with the HB, while the red X marks the dive/keep decision point. This is a pure zone read run play with no route combo drawn out for the trips receivers on this look, meaning the offensive line blocks straight ahead zone flow while the QB reads the backside end or first unblocked defender off the edge to decide between handing off or pulling and keeping.
Defensive Reads
Watch the play side defensive end pre-snap, if he widens out and stays disciplined he is reading the mesh point and will not let the QB keep easily. Check linebacker depth, if the Mike and Will are stacked tight to the line expecting run, this play beats aggressive fronts by forcing an unblocked defender to guess wrong. Look for a spy or scrape exchange technique from the second level defender, that indicates a defense that has scouted the zone read and will take away both options. Man coverage on the trips side with no extra run support in the box is a green light, take the run since there is no eighth defender to help against the zone read. Heavy blitz packages that send extra defenders off the edge can blow this play up quickly, so if you see a nano blitz alignment pre-snap consider checking to a quick pass instead.
Usage Tips
Check the defensive end or outside linebacker to the play side before the snap to see if he is crashing hard down the line, that tells you whether to plan on pulling the ball immediately.
Use this in early down situations, especially 1st and 10 or 2nd and medium, since it forces the defense to respect both the dive and the keep threat.
Pair this with Read Option Bubble or RPO Alert Bubble from the same set so the defense has to honor the perimeter throw and cannot sell out on the interior run fit every snap.
If the CPU or user defender crashes the mesh point hard every time, start pulling the ball and running QB power off the edge to punish the overaggressive read.
Sprinkle in Read Option Dummy as a play-action complement later in the game once the defense has committed to stopping the zone read look.
