Playbooks
RPO Glance Bubble out of Shotgun Wide Slot Right WK is a true run-pass option that pairs an inside zone run scheme with a glance slant and bubble screen tied to the read defender, typically the play side linebacker or slot defender. The quarterback reads that defender post-snap: if he crashes down to fill the run lane, the QB pulls and throws the bubble to the flat or the glance slant behind him, and if he sits or drops into a passing lane, the QB hands off to the HB into the zone run lane. This play is a zone beater on the perimeter and a solid answer versus light boxes, since it forces second level defenders to declare before the ball is committed.
Watch the play side linebacker depth at the snap, a shallow drop or hard crash toward the line tells you which side of the RPO the offense is attacking Zone coverage shells with linebackers sitting in short passing lanes tend to shut down the bubble read, forcing the offense into the run or the glance window Man coverage with an aggressive slot defender jumping the bubble route opens up the glance slant behind him for an easy pitch and catch User controlled defenders lurking in the shallow zone can bait the QB into throwing the bubble into a trap, so respect any user movement toward the flat before committing Blitzes that bring extra defenders off the edge or through the A gap can beat the run read if the offensive line loses the numbers advantage, so track pre-snap blitz indicators like walked up safeties or overloaded fronts
Check the box count pre-snap and if the defense has six or more in the box, lean toward throwing the RPO instead of forcing the run read
Identify whether the slot cornerback or linebacker is your designated RPO key, since his post-snap movement determines whether you pull or hand off
Against man coverage shells, hot route the glance slant into a quicker throw or convert the bubble receiver to a speed out to create separation before the defender can trail
Use this on early downs in normal or nickel personnel to keep the defense honest, then follow it up with Inside Zone Split once the defense starts sitting on the bubble
Pair this with Slant Swing or Curls later in a series so the defense cannot key on the same RPO look every snap and starts hesitating on run fits