Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
HB Slip Screen out of Shotgun Trips Y-Flex is a designed screen pass built to bait the pass rush upfield while the offensive line slips out to lead block for the HB. The three receivers to the trips side run a vertical clear out combo (a corner route, a deep cross, and a seam/flat combo) to occupy the underneath defenders and both safeties, while the backside X runs a shallow drag away from the screen to hold the boundary defender. The primary read is the HB out of the backfield: get the ball to him quickly once the linemen release, then follow your lead blockers through the alley.
Defensive Reads
This play is designed to gash aggressive man coverage and blitz-heavy defenses that send extra rushers, since the backfield stays clean for blockers to release. Diagnose Cover 0 or Cover 1 pre-snap by checking for single high safety and man press corners on the trips side, that is the ideal trigger for calling this screen. Post-snap, watch for a spy or a linebacker with eyes in the backfield instead of rushing, that defender can blow up the screen before blockers get set. Zone coverages like Cover 3 or Cover 4 with disciplined underneath linebackers are the counter, since those defenders sit and read instead of rushing upfield. If the user controls a linebacker and stays home near the line of scrimmage instead of dropping into coverage, abandon the screen read and consider a hot route or checkdown elsewhere.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or after establishing the pass to keep aggressive pass rush honest, since the whole concept lives off defenders selling out to get after the QB.
Pre-snap, look for blitz indicators like linebackers creeping to the line or a defensive line showing an overload front, this is exactly the look that makes the screen explode.
Avoid throwing this into zone coverage with disciplined linebackers sitting underneath, they will read the screen and jump the throwing lane.
Pair this play with Four Verticals or Dagger PoCo from the same set so the defense respects the vertical shots first, making them more likely to bring pressure that this screen punishes.
User the HB manually right after the catch to pick the correct lane behind your blockers instead of relying on the CPU logic, since the blocking angles are tight in the middle of the field.
