Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Fake Screen Wheel is a play-action pass out of Shotgun Trips 10 personnel that disguises itself as a screen before releasing the outside trips receiver on a wheel route up the sideline. The diagram shows the two inside trips receivers running a fake screen look with one bubbling out and faking a block while the outside receiver breaks vertical up the numbers on the wheel, and the backside single receiver runs a straight go route as an isolation outlet. The primary read progression starts with the wheel route as the shot play, then works down to the backside go if the corner sits on the wheel or the safety rotates over the top.
Defensive Reads
Read the flat defender or slot corner alignment pre-snap, if they are sitting shallow anticipating screen action they are set up to be beaten deep by the wheel. Watch for a cornerback or linebacker triggering hard toward the fake screen action after the snap, that is the key indicator this play will hit for a big gain. Zone coverage shells like cover 3 or cover 4 that keep the flat defender flat footed on screen reads are the most vulnerable to this wheel concept. Man coverage with strong safety help over the top on the trips side or a linebacker with wheel route responsibility can shut this down if they do not bite the fake. Blitz packages that send extra defenders through the box without accounting for the wheel release leave the sideline exposed, so identify blitz timing before deciding whether to hold the wheel read or check down to the backside go.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs like first and ten when the defense is trigger happy against screens and susceptible to biting on the fake action near the line of scrimmage.
Check the flat and slot corner depth before the snap, if they are sitting low expecting a bubble or quick screen this wheel will beat them to the sideline every time.
Use hot routes to keep the running back in for extra protection versus five and six man pressure since the fake screen action can bait blitzers into flowing the wrong way.
Pair this play with actual bubble screen or RPO alert bubble calls earlier in a series so the defense keys the fake motion and overcommits, setting up the wheel route as the counterpunch.
Against man coverage the backside go route is a strong shot alternative, so check that matchup pre-snap if the trips side wheel defender is a sticky cover corner.
