Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Fake Screen Wheel is a play-action deep shot disguised as a screen concept out of Shotgun Y Trips Offset. The diagram shows the outside trips receiver running a wheel route up the sideline off the fake screen action, the middle slot receiver breaking outward on a short crossing route, the tight end (blue) working a deep angle route up the seam, and the backside single receiver running a straight go route up the numbers. The fake screen action to the flat freezes linebackers and underneath defenders, opening up the wheel and seam routes behind them, making this a man beater designed to exploit aggressive run support and overplayed screen keys. Primary read progression starts with the wheel route up the sideline, moves inside to the TE seam route, and works back to the backside go route if the coverage rotates away from trips.
Defensive Reads
Key the flow of the linebackers at the snap: if they bite hard on the fake screen action toward the flat, the wheel route and TE seam route are wide open behind them. Watch the cornerback aligned over the trips receiver running the wheel route, since aggressive corners who jump the fake screen or sit in a hard outside shade get beat over the top. Identify single high versus two high safety shells before the snap, because a rotated single high safety to the trips side can undercut the wheel route and force the quarterback to the backside go route instead. Look for user controlled defenders sitting in shallow zones or lurking near the flat, since a smart human defender can sit on the screen fake and jump the crossing route for a big hit or turnover. This play struggles against disciplined zone drops that stay deep and outside, particularly Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells where the deep defenders do not bite on the underneath action, so expect the wheel and seam routes to be contested in those coverages.
Usage Tips
Call this play when the defense has shown aggressive screen recognition or overpursuit on flat routes on previous snaps, since the fake screen action is designed to bait linebackers and slot defenders. Use it on early downs or in shot situations like 2nd and short where defenses expect run or a quick pass, since the play action sells better against run-heavy fronts. Check the pre-snap safety alignment: if you see two high safeties, the wheel route usually wins outside against a cornerback who bites on the fake screen action, but if you see a single high safety rotate to trips, look immediately to the backside go route. Pair this play with Fake Bubble Go and RPO Bubble Y Pop earlier in a drive to condition the defense into keying the screen action, then dial up Fake Screen Wheel once you see linebackers flowing hard to the flat. Hot route the middle crosser into a deeper option route against zone shells that sit soft underneath, since that gives you a built in checkdown if both verticals are covered.
