Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
HB Mid Draw out of Shotgun Trips 10 personnel is a designed delay run that shows five offensive linemen holding pass protection for a two count before opening a lane up the middle for the running back. The QB fakes a quick drop to sell pass, luring the front seven upfield or into pass rush lanes, while the trips receivers to one side and the single receiver to the other run vertical stems to hold the corners and safeties deep. This is a pure run play designed to beat aggressive man and zone pass rush teams by punishing defenders who bite on the pass read, with the primary read being the mike linebacker and interior defensive line flow before hitting the gap that opens between the guards.
Defensive Reads
Key the middle linebacker depth at the snap, if he sprints upfield on a blitz path the draw lane opens immediately behind him. This play beats man coverage with blitz packages because the extra rushers create wider gaps for the delayed handoff to exploit. Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells with deep zone drops can struggle if linebackers do not stay disciplined against play fakes. User-controlled defenders spying the backfield or a linebacker sitting in a hook zone will diagnose the draw quickly and close the running lane. Nickel and dime packages with lighter boxes are more vulnerable, so look for base personnel or extra DBs cheating up as a sign the defense expects the draw. Watch the defensive tackles, if they get consistent penetration up field on the snap the interior lane will collapse before the back can hit it.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or third and short when the defense expects pass out of trips formations and shows blitz pressure pre-snap.
Watch for defenders creeping toward the line of scrimmage or showing exotic blitz packages, since the draw naturally slows down speed rushers and stunts.
Avoid calling this against disciplined defenses that spy the running back or use zone drops with linebackers reading through the backfield first.
Pair this with RPO Alert Screen or RPO Read Screen from the same set so the defense cannot sit on run keys and has to respect both quick screens and delayed draw action.
Mix in Inside Zone and HB Counter from this set to keep linebacker fits honest, then dial up HB Mid Draw once you see them cheating toward outside zone runs.
Use pre-snap motion or a hard count to bait linebackers into showing blitz, then snap into the draw when you see empty gaps at the second level.
