Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 18 playbooks
Breakdown
HB Slip Screen out of Shotgun Y Trips Wk sends three receivers vertical from the trips side to clear out the underneath zones while the backside X runs a deep in to hold the corner and safety. The offensive line shows pass pro before releasing to wall off defenders in front of the HB, who slips out to the flat opposite the trips look for the screen. This is a pure screen play designed to beat aggressive man pressure and blitz packages, with the primary read being the HB in the flat as the first and only real progression once the screen develops.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing man coverage or blitz looks with linebackers crowding the line, since those are the shells this screen destroys. Post-snap, key the play side linebacker closest to the HB, if he stays home and reads the backfield he can blow up the screen before blockers get set. Watch for a user-controlled defender spying the backfield or sitting in a shallow zone, as this is the biggest threat to a big HB Slip Screen loss. If the defense is running a zone blitz with contain defenders staying disciplined at home, this play struggles to develop and should be avoided. Check safety depth before the snap, since two deep safeties suggest the defense is more focused on the vertical routes and less on backfield screen action, giving the HB more room after the catch.
Usage Tips
Call this against defenses showing pressure indicators like walked up linebackers or overload fronts on the trips side since the screen punishes blitzers who commit upfield.
Watch for the defensive line getting depth off the snap, that penetration is exactly what opens the passing lane for your offensive linemen to get out and set up blocks.
Use this on early downs or after a string of dropback passes from this same set like Curls or Four Verticals to sell pass and freeze the second level defenders.
Manually control the lead blocking lineman if possible and steer him into the first unblocked defender to spring the HB for extra yardage.
Avoid calling this into zone-heavy shells with disciplined linebackers who sit and read, since they can sniff out the screen and blow it up for a loss.
