Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
QB Blast is a designed QB run out of Shotgun Wing Tight Flip that sends the quarterback straight downhill through the middle of the formation behind a gap-heavy blocking scheme up front. The diagram shows the offensive line blocking straight ahead at the point of attack with the QB taking the handoff motion and blasting through the interior gap, while the H-back and wing align tight to the formation for extra double team or lead-blocking support at the line. This is a run play with no route concept attached, designed to win with power and downhill blocking rather than reads, so the primary progression is simply following the designed run lane and reacting to the first crease created by the offensive line.
Defensive Reads
Watch linebacker depth before the snap: linebackers sitting shallow at 3-4 yards are keying run and will fill the interior gap quickly against QB Blast. A stacked front with 8 in the box is the biggest counter to this play, since there is no pass option to punish overcommitted defenders. Man coverage on the perimeter can actually help this play since it pulls extra defenders away from run support, leaving fewer bodies in the box. Look for user-controlled defenders spying the QB pre-snap, especially a linebacker or safety cheating toward the mesh point, which signals the defense anticipates the designed QB run. Blitzes that send extra rushers up the middle can blow up this play before the crease develops, so avoid calling QB Blast into known interior blitz packages or nano blitz tendencies.
Usage Tips
Call this play on short yardage or 1-2 yard situations where defenses expect pass or an outside run, since the interior blast hits fast and can catch light boxes off guard.
Check the defensive box count pre-snap: if the defense has 6 or fewer in the box, this play has a high success rate against base fronts and light nickel looks.
Use manual QB control after the snap to press the crease and lower the shoulder for extra yards after contact instead of relying purely on the CPU logic.
Pair this play with Read Option and Inside Zone from the same set to keep the defense guessing between designed QB runs and zone hand-offs, forcing linebackers to hesitate on run fits.
Avoid calling this against stacked boxes with 8 or more defenders, since there is no built-in RPO or route escape if the middle is clogged.
