Playbooks
In 15 playbooks
Breakdown
Shuffle Mtn Fk Screen Wheel is a play-action screen concept out of Shotgun Trips TE that combines a fake HB screen with a wheel route from the flat receiver. Post snap, the two outside trips receivers push vertical routes upfield (one deep corner or go, the other a deep out breaking route) to clear out zone defenders, while the innermost trips receiver runs a shallow drag underneath acting as the false screen action. The slot TE releases into a wheel route up the sideline as the true first read against man coverage or blown assignments, with the HB check releasing to fake the screen and sell the run action to freeze linebackers.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if the defense shows two deep safeties, which suggests zone coverage that can be attacked with the two vertical clearout routes on the outside. Watch the linebacker assigned to the flat or screen area, since this play depends on him biting on the fake screen action to open the wheel route lane for the TE. Post-snap, if you see a user-controlled defender spying the backfield or sitting on the screen action, expect the wheel route to be your primary answer since the underneath defender committed to the wrong read. Man coverage on the TE out of the backfield or slot is the biggest indicator this play works, especially if a linebacker or slower defender is matched up in coverage. Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells with disciplined linebackers who do not bite on the screen fake can shut this down, since the wheel route will not have room to work and the drag route becomes a low value checkdown.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or in play-action friendly counts like second and short where linebackers are keyed to bite on run or screen action.
Look for man coverage pre-snap since the wheel route from the TE is designed to work as a true man beater against linebackers or slower nickel defenders trying to trail across the field.
Use motion pre-snap if available to identify if the defense is playing man or zone based on whether a defender follows the motion man.
Hot route the drag runner into a quicker option if you see a zone shell sitting underneath, since the shallow route can act as a checkdown against soft zone drops.
Pair this play with Orbit PA HB Wheel or PA Shot Wheel in the same set to keep defenses guessing between true HB wheel actions and this fake screen wheel look, forcing linebackers to hesitate on their run fits.
