Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
RPO Read Screen out of Shotgun Trips lines up with a single isolated receiver backside running a vertical release up the sideline while the trips side runs a bubble style screen concept with the outside receiver blocking and the inside slot man running a shallow angle route toward the flat. The offensive line stays in pass protection to sell the RPO look while the quarterback reads the alley defender or overhang linebacker on the trips side to decide between the screen or backside shot. This is a run pass option designed to be a zone beater against light boxes and aggressive linebacker flow, with the primary read progressing from the trips side screen key to the backside vertical if the defense sells hard to the screen.
Defensive Reads
Watch the linebacker depth at the snap since shallow linebackers who crash toward the line are the biggest indicator the screen is live and about to be thrown. Man coverage on the backside isolated receiver with no safety help over the top is a green light for the quarterback to skip the screen entirely and take the deep shot. User the overhang or slot defender on the trips side to jump the shallow angle route, since sitting on this route kills the RPO before it develops. Zone shells with a deep half safety rotated to the backside receiver take away the vertical shot and force the quarterback into the screen, so squeeze the screen lanes with your defensive line. Disguise blitzes that bring pressure off the edge can bait the quarterback into an early screen throw, so a fast flowing linebacker who reads screen instead of biting on run action will blow this play up.
Usage Tips
Presnap identify the alignment of the overhang defender on the trips side since he is the key that determines whether the screen or the backside shot is live.
If the defense shows a two high shell with soft corners, pull the trigger on the backside vertical route since one on one coverage on an island favors your receiver.
Use hot routes to adjust the outside trips receiver into a more aggressive block angle if you anticipate an outside contain blitz.
Best called on second and short or on early downs when the defense is likely to load the box, since a crashing linebacker opens up easy yardage on the screen.
Pair this with RPO Alert Screen and Bubble Screen in the same drive to condition linebackers to sit on the run fake, then hit them with the backside shot for a big gain once they start flying downhill.
