Playbooks
Shotgun Y Off Trips Pats is a New England flavored trips look that bunches three receivers to one side with the Y tight end aligned off the ball inside the trips set, leaving the X receiver isolated on the backside and a single back offset next to the quarterback. Unlike standard Shotgun Trips TE or Trips Y Iso, the Y is detached from the line, so he gets a free release at the snap and cannot be easily jammed or rerouted by a stacked linebacker. That off alignment also lets him function as a pseudo slot, a motion piece, or a lead blocker on perimeter runs, which gives defenses a lot to process before the snap.
The set thrives on Patriots style option and crossing concepts. Plays like Y-option Wheel, Mesh Y Out, Pats Y Out, and Pats Cross put the tight end on a linebacker or safety in space, while Jets Crosses, Wheel Mesh, and Pats Drag Wheel flood the middle with shallow traffic that stresses man coverage and hook defenders. The Mtn tags (Mtn Corners, Mtn Y Poco, Mtn Empty HB Sluggo, Mtn Empty Dbl Unders, Mtn Empty Smash Y-post) motion the back or a receiver to create empty looks, revealing man or zone and pulling a linebacker out of the box to isolate the back on a slower defender.
The backside X is the other key matchup. With trips forcing the defense to rotate coverage toward the strength, X Curl, Deep Slot Curl, and Giants Go Dbl Post let you attack a single corner with no underneath help. A real run menu (Inside Zone, HB Power, 5 6 Trap, HB Mid Draw, Scat) keeps light boxes honest, and screens like Pats HB Screen and WR Screen punish aggressive pressure.
Use the Mtn Empty plays on early downs to read the defense: if a defender travels with the motion, stay on the concept and target the back or Y against man; if the defense bumps instead, favor Mtn Empty Smash Y-post or Mtn Empty Dbl Unders against zone.
On third and medium against man coverage, call Y-option Wheel or Mesh Y Out and read the Y first, hot routing the RB to a block if the opponent shows a blitz from the trips side.
When the defense rotates safeties toward trips and plays single high, work the backside with X Curl or Giants Go Dbl Post, and consider a hot route slant or fade on X if the corner is playing off.
Against a user lurking in the middle, pivot to Pats Drag Wheel or Mtn Corners to hit the outside and vertical areas he vacates, or throw Pats HB Screen when he creeps down to jump crossers.
Keep the defense honest with HB Mid Draw and Inside Zone when opponents drop into dime or nickel against trips, then use PA Pats Cross and PA Jets Fork off those runs to pull linebackers up and open the intermediate windows.