Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Bounce Outside Zone lines up out of Shotgun Y Off Trips with 11 personnel, showing a single back offset next to the QB and a trips receiver alignment to one side with an isolated receiver backside. The diagram shows the run blocking flowing laterally with the offensive line and TE reaching their zone landmarks and the HB path bending outside off the arrow art rather than cutting straight downhill, which is the bounce read built into this outside zone scheme. This is a zone run play designed to get the back to the edge, and the primary read progression starts with the backside cutback lane before working to the bounce point outside the frontside tackle if the edge defender gets reached blocked.
Defensive Reads
Watch the play side defensive end and outside linebacker leverage before the snap, if they are lined up wide with outside contain responsibility this bounce concept struggles to get to the edge. Key the flow of the linebackers after the snap, if they diagnose zone and flow hard playside without overrunning the play the cutback lane disappears and the bounce lane gets sealed. User the playside safety or slot corner into the alley to erase the bounce lane, this is the single biggest defensive answer to this scheme. Look for run blitzes or nano blitzes from the defensive front, since fast penetration from a 3 technique or edge rusher can blow up the zone track before the back reaches the bounce point. Against zone heavy defenses with disciplined linebacker gap integrity, the cutback lane stays closed and the offense is forced into the bounce, so spy the edge defender's leverage throughout the play.
Usage Tips
Check the box count pre-snap and only call this against light boxes of six or fewer defenders since the trips set pulls a defender out wide.
Use the bounce path to attack defenses that are flowing hard downhill against inside zone tendencies, since this play punishes overaggressive linebacker fits.
Pair this with Inside Zone and HB Dive from the same formation to keep linebackers honest before hitting them with the bounce path once they start cheating inside.
On the perimeter, motion or shift the trips receivers pre-snap to check if the defense rotates into a run blitz or stays static, which tells you whether the edge will be soft.
Best called on early downs (1st and 10 or 2nd and short) when you want a low risk gain and the ability to set up outside zone based RPOs later in the drive.
