Playbooks
At a Glance
In 1 playbook
Overview
Shotgun Wide Trips uses 10 personnel: one running back, no tight end, and four wide receivers. Three receivers stack to one side with wider splits than a standard Trips look, and a single isolated receiver sits on the backside. Those wide splits are what separate it from the tighter Trips sets in the Shotgun formation. The trips receivers stretch the flat defender and the curl/flat defender toward the sideline, which empties the middle of the field and creates natural voids for the running game and for inside-breaking routes. The backside X receiver gets a true one-on-one look whenever the defense rolls coverage toward the trips side.
Without a tight end, the defense has to decide whether to match with nickel or dime personnel or stay heavy and risk linebackers covering slot receivers. If they bring extra DBs, Speed Option, Read Option, HB Mid Draw, and HB Sweep attack a lighter box against a spread-out front. If they stay in base, your slot receivers get mismatches on routes like Switch Verts, PA Slot Choice, and Deep Choice. The running back is the only extra blocker, so this set rewards backs with a 3DRB or Gadget profile who can release on HB Swing and Wheel Curls. A Power HB, meanwhile, punishes nickel boxes on Mid Draw.
The play art covers vertical stretch (Four Verticals, Switch Verts), horizontal and hitch spacing (All Hitch, All Curl, Hitch Mills), flood concepts (PA Read Flood), and a true RPO in RPO Alert Bubble Stick. That mix lets you run a complete spread package from one alignment. You can stress every coverage shell without changing personnel, which makes your tendencies hard for a user defender to read.
Strengths
- Wide splits on the trips side force the defense to either widen its flat defenders or concede easy access to the flats, which opens the middle for Switch Verts seams and HB Mid Draw.
- Switch Verts and Four Verticals put four vertical threats on single high safeties, so the inside trips receiver can win the seam against Cover 3 and Cover 1 when the free safety cheats toward the boundary iso.
- The backside isolated receiver is a built-in man beater: when the defense rotates to the trips side, a hot route slant, fade, or Deep Choice on the X gives you a clean one-on-one read.
- RPO Alert Bubble Stick and Speed Option punish defenses that load the box or blitz from the slot. Bubble to trips, stick to the inside receiver, or hand off, all based on one post-snap read of the overhang defender.
- All Hitch, All Curl, and Hitch Mills give quick answers against off coverage and soft Cover 4, letting you move the chains on second and medium without taking sacks.
Weaknesses
- With 10 personnel and only the running back in protection, zero blitzes and nano blitzes off the edge overload the line quickly, and play action concepts like PA Read Flood and PA Slot Choice often lack time to develop.
- A user-controlled linebacker or safety sitting in the middle hook zone can erase the seams on Switch Verts and the inside routes of Hitch Mills, which forces throws outside against trailing coverage.
- Defenses that check Cover 3 Buzz or match coverage to trips can jump the bubble and stick on RPO Alert Bubble Stick, which turns the RPO into a pick-six risk if you misread the overhang.
- The run game has no tight end or fullback to kick out edge defenders, so HB Sweep and Speed Option stall against fast outside linebackers and edge contain assignments.
- The trips side is an obvious strength tell, so opponents can shade their safety rotation and press the backside iso receiver to take away your best one-on-one throw.
Usage Tips
Count the box pre-snap: with six or fewer defenders in the box against nickel or dime, audible to HB Mid Draw or Read Option, and against a loaded box, check to RPO Alert Bubble Stick or All Hitch.
Against single high safety looks on first down or third and long, call Switch Verts or Four Verticals and read the seam from the inside trips receiver first, then work to the backside iso on a fade.
When you expect a blitz, hot route the running back to a block or quick flat, then slant the backside X to create a fast man beater before pressure gets home.
Use All Curl and Hitch Mills on second and medium versus off coverage or Cover 4. Throw the curl that sits behind the flat defender, and hold the ball away from the user-controlled hook defender.
Pair PA Read Flood and PA Slot Choice with your established Mid Draw and Speed Option looks later in drives, and slide protection toward the blitz side to give the flood concept time.
