Playbooks

Mtn HB Slip Screen

Shotgun·Trips·10

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This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

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Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetTrips

Personnel

101 RB · 0 TE · 4 WR

In 1 playbook

Air Raid Classic OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Mtn HB Slip Screen is a screen play out of Shotgun Trips that gets the ball to your running back in space while the offensive line initially shows pass protection before releasing to lead block downfield. The three receivers in the Trips bunch run vertical and clear-out routes to pull defenders away from the screen lane, giving your blockers room to work against a lighter box. The primary read is simply the screen itself: catch the shovel or swing pass to the HB, let your linemen get out in front, and follow the alley created by the pulling blockers rather than working through a route progression.

Defensive Reads

Watch for user-controlled linebackers spying the backfield or sitting in a hook zone, since a disciplined Mike linebacker who reads screen can blow this play up before the blockers get set. Identify blitz packages pre-snap, since a all-out blitz with no spy is the ideal shell for this screen because rushers take themselves out of the play chasing the quarterback. Man coverage across the board is a green light, cornerbacks in man will be turned away from the backfield tracking their Trips receivers instead of reading the HB. Zone coverage with sound linebacker discipline, especially Tampa 2 or a Cover 3 sky with linebackers sitting short, is the counter that shuts this down since those defenders can read the screen and close the passing lane immediately. Beware a defensive lineman assigned to spy or a delayed blitz call, since these are designed specifically to sniff out screens like this one and will tackle the HB behind the line before blockers arrive.

Usage Tips

Call this on early downs or third and short when the defense is likely to bring pressure, since blitzing linebackers and disciplined edge rushers who crash upfield create the exact lanes this screen needs. Check pre-snap for man coverage or a heavy blitz look, since both leave underneath defenders out of position to react to the HB Slip Screen in time. Do not audible the routes, the Trips receivers are already designed to clear space, so trust the concept and get the ball out quickly on the snap. Pair this play with Mtn HB Draw and Inside Zone earlier in a drive so the defense starts keying run action, then dial up the Mtn HB Slip Screen to punish overaggressive linebackers flowing hard downhill. Use it as a change of pace after calling RPO Alert Screen or RPO Base Alert Bubble, since defenses that adjust to those quick game concepts often overcommit to underneath coverage and open up the wider screen lane.