Playbooks
Pats HB Screen out of the Y Off Trips Pats set is a designed screen pass that gets the ball to your HB in space behind a wall of pulling linemen. The trips side receivers run vertical or clear-out routes to pull coverage downfield and open up the screen lane, while the offensive line releases to set up blockers ahead of the HB. This is primarily a blitz beater and aggressive man coverage counter, with the read being simple: get the ball out to the HB the instant the screen sets up, then follow your blockers to the sideline or cut upfield off the lead blocks.
Watch for user defenders spying the backfield or sitting in a lurk position near the line of scrimmage, since they can read the screen and blow it up before blockers set Man coverage with no underneath help is where this play thrives because it removes defenders from the play entirely as they chase receivers downfield Zone defenses like Cover 3 or Cover 4 with disciplined linebackers are the biggest threat since those defenders can sit, read the screen, and close the passing lane Blitz-heavy calls like nano blitzes or all-out pressure packages get eaten alive by this play since rushers are already running away from the eventual catch point If the defense shows a delayed blitz or a spy at linebacker depth, consider audibling out since that defender is positioned to jump the screen route immediately
Call this play when you see aggressive pre-snap blitz indicators like linebackers creeping to the line or safeties rotating down into the box
Use it on early downs after showing pass looks from Pats Drag Wheel or Pats Cross to condition the defense into rushing hard, then punish them with the screen
Manually control your HB after the catch so you can make your own cuts off the lead blockers instead of relying on the CPU logic
Avoid calling this against disciplined zone defenses that sit and read the backfield, since defenders can sniff it out and blow it up for a loss
Pair this with Inside Zone and HB Power earlier in a drive to establish the run and make defenders bite even harder on the screen action