Playbooks
At a Glance
In 14 playbooks
Overview
Y Off Trips takes the trips alignment and pulls the tight end off the line into an offset position next to the quarterback, which is what separates it from standard Trips or Trips TE looks in Shotgun. Instead of stacking three true receivers to one side with the tight end attached, you get a three receiver bunch-ish surface with the Y aligned in the backfield or just off the tackle, giving him a free release into flats, seams, and pop routes without ever facing a jam. The 11 personnel grouping keeps your best three wideouts on the field while the offset tight end functions as a hybrid blocker and receiver, meaning the defense cannot substitute heavy personnel without giving up speed on the outside.
The formation shines because it forces the defense to declare. Trips to one side pulls safety help and forces either a rotated shell or a lone defender over the number three receiver, and the offset Y creates an extra body the defense has to account for in the run fit. That is why the play list is loaded with RPO concepts: RPO Glance Post, RPO Duo Alert Glance, RPO Bubble Y Pop, RPO Read WR Screen, RPO Counter Peek, and RPO Counter Glance Post all let you read the box count post-snap and either hand off or throw into the vacated space. If the defense adds a hat to the box, the glance and bubble reads are open. If they play light, Duo, Inside Zone Split, Counter Y, and 0 1 Trap punish them downhill.
The passing menu is equally deep for competitive play. Return Curls, Curls, Deep Stick, Deep Stick Out, Stick, and Slants give you the West Coast timing throws that beat man press, while Four Verticals, Verticals Dig, Verticals Y Option, Slot 2 Buc, and Shot Slot Poco attack Cover 3 seams and Cover 4 with the number three receiver running free up the middle. Layer in the screen game (HB Slip Screen, Mtn Y Screen, Fake Screen Wheel, Flood HB Swing) and the Gadget and Direct Snap wrinkles, and you have a set that answers nearly every coverage shell without a formation substitution tell.
Strengths
- Trips side overload forces the defense to either bracket the outside receiver or leave the number three receiver isolated on a linebacker or unmatched in zone, and the seam and glance routes off Four Verticals and RPO Glance Post immediately punish that mismatch.
- The offset tight end gets a clean, unjammed release, making him a premium man beater on RPO Read Y Flat, Verticals Y Option, and Mtn Stick, and he doubles as an extra pass protector against blitz heavy users.
- Elite RPO depth (RPO Glance Post, RPO Duo Alert Glance, RPO Bubble Y Pop, RPO Counter Peek, RPO Counter Glance Post, RPO Read WR Screen) lets you read box count pre-snap and post-snap, so a single formation call handles both light and heavy boxes without an audible.
- Return Curls, Curls, and Deep Stick attack the soft spots in Cover 3 and Cover 2 with three way flood spacing, while Slants and Stick shred man coverage when you block the tight end and stay in the pocket for the quick timing throw.
- Run and pass conflict is real here: Duo, Inside Zone Split, Counter Y, Read Option, and HB Draw share the same shell as your vertical shots, so play action concepts like PA Zone Shot, PA Double Post, and PA Mtn Slide sell hard off established run tendencies.
Weaknesses
- Trips alignment leaves the backside receiver on an island, so a user controlled corner or a robber safety cheating to the single side can jump the isolated route and pick off Verticals Dig or PA Double Post reads.
- The offset tight end pulls a blocker out of the traditional protection, and A gap nano blitzes or overload pressure to the weak side can collapse the pocket before the deeper trips concepts develop.
- Heavy RPO usage becomes a read tell: opponents who recognize the set will crash the edge and user the flat defender, taking away both the bubble and the glance in one snap.
- Run game to the weak side (HB Counter, Counter Y, Mtn Counter Y) has less numbers advantage, and defenses that overload the trips side with a slot blitz force the pull to run into unblocked defenders.
- Short yardage plays like HB Dive, X Close HB Dive, and HB Direct Snap are predictable from a spread look, and users who sub in run stopping personnel and pinch the line will stone them for no gain.
Usage Tips
Read the defender over the number three receiver pre-snap. If he is stacked inside with no safety rotation, run RPO Bubble Y Pop or hot route the slot to a bubble and take the free yardage. If a safety spins down, hit the glance or the seam behind him.
Against single high looks, Four Verticals and Slot 2 Buc put four route runners into three deep zones, so identify the deep middle safety and throw the opposite seam. Motion the slot to change the launch point and confirm man versus zone before the snap.
On third down between five and nine yards, live in Deep Stick, Deep Stick Out, and Return Curls. Hot route the offset Y to a flat or drag as your check down and let the sticks settle just past the marker against zone.
Establish Duo, Inside Zone Split, and 0 1 Trap early so PA Zone Shot, PA Double Post, Mtn PA Smash, and Bounce PA Deep Out sell the run action and freeze the flat defenders you need to clear.
When a user is blitzing aggressively off the edge, go to HB Slip Screen, Mtn Y Screen, Flood HB Swing, or Fake Screen Wheel. The trips side gives you three blockers in front of the ball, and Fake Screen Wheel punishes the defender who bites hardest.
Mix in HB Direct Snap and the Gadget tagged plays sparingly in short yardage or as a change of pace, since the alignment does not tip the call and opponents who over commit to stopping the RPO read get caught flat footed.
