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Breakdown
HB Slip Screen out of Shotgun Y Trips Offset is a designed screen pass that slips the running back out to the flat behind a wall of blockers while the rest of the formation clears out the underneath area. The three trips receivers push vertical or drag across the field to occupy zone defenders and pull man defenders away from the screen lane, and the backside X receiver runs a deep comeback to hold the corner. The primary read is the HB in the flat, with the offensive line and slot blockers setting up in front of him to create a lane, so this is a screen designed to beat aggressive pass rushes and man coverage that loses contain.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing Cover 3 or Cover 1 with an overload blitz look, since screens thrive against pressure packages that send extra rushers. Key the defensive ends and outside linebackers post-snap, if they stay disciplined and read screen instead of crashing upfield, they can blow up the blocking wall immediately. Watch for a user-controlled defender spying the backfield or sitting in a lurk position near the line of scrimmage, this is the biggest threat to jumping the screen route. Zone defenses with linebackers who scrape flat to the flat quickly will shut this down, so look for teams that sit two-high safety shells with disciplined underneath zone drops. If the defense shows Cover 4 or Cover 6 with corners playing off, the deep comeback route on the backside can also become a viable answer if the screen is covered.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or third and short when the defense shows a heavy pass rush or blitz look, since the delayed blockers give the HB time to develop the screen wall.
Watch for defenders crashing hard off the edge pre-snap, because widebread blitzes and aggressive man press coverage get sucked upfield and open the screen lane.
Use the trips side vertical routes as clear-out tools, if the defense plays zone drop coverage underneath, delay the throw a beat longer so those defenders drift away from the flat.
Pair this play with Outside Zone and Speed Option from the same set to keep defenders honest on the edge, forcing them to respect the perimeter run threat before hitting them with the screen.
Avoid calling this against disciplined zone defenses that sit their linebackers, since scraping linebackers and disciplined ends can blow this up before the wall sets.
