Playbooks
HB Angle Screen out of Shotgun Wide Trips HB WK is a designed screen play that gets the HB out into the flat away from the trips side with linemen releasing to set up a wall of blockers. This is a blitz beater and man beater at its core, designed to punish aggressive pass rushers and man coverage defenders who are flowing hard upfield or getting sucked into the trips route combo. The primary read is the HB out of the backfield on the angle route, with the QB looking to get the ball out quickly once the underneath defenders bite on the play fake or the trips concept up top.
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing man coverage with a linebacker or slot corner shaded over the HB alignment, since this play is designed to exploit man defenders who follow receivers into their routes and lose containment. Watch for blitz packages where defensive ends and linebackers crash hard off the edge, since the natural blocking scheme on this screen turns unblocked rushers into easy targets for your offensive line to wall off. Post-snap, key on any user controlled defender staying home in a spy or lurk technique near the line of scrimmage, since a disciplined defender sitting in the shallow zone can blow up the screen before blockers get set. Zone defenses with linebackers dropping to intermediate depth and staying square to the backfield are the biggest threat to this play, since they can read the HB releasing and close the throwing lane instantly. If the defense shows a nano blitz or interior stunt with linemen crashing inside gaps, this play works well since the natural delay in the screen action lets those rushers overrun the play before the HB catches the ball.
Call this play against defenses showing pressure indicators like six or seven man fronts, overload blitz looks, or defenders creeping to the line pre-snap since the screen naturally slows down the rush and turns their aggression against them.
Use the trips side receivers as decoys to hold the linebackers and safeties for an extra beat, giving your blockers time to get set up in front of the HB before the throw.
Avoid calling this on obvious long yardage downs against zone heavy defenses that sit back in coverage since underneath zone defenders can read the screen and jump the angle route for a minimal gain or a loss.
Pair this with Air Raid Under or Trips Cross earlier in a drive to condition the defense to respect the deep trips shots, which sets up the HB Angle Screen as a change of pace call that catches aggressive defenders overplaying the pass.
Throw the ball as soon as the HB turns upfield rather than holding it, since user controlled defenders who diagnose the screen quickly can close the passing window fast if you delay the release.