Playbooks
End Around Lead out of Singleback Bunch Base is a designated run play built around deception rather than a route concept. At the snap the backfield action sells a misdirection look, with the QB reversing out to hand off to the receiver coming across the formation while a lead blocker (fullback or extra blocker from the 21 personnel) leads through the hole to clear the alley. This is a trick run play, not a man or zone beater in the passing sense, and the primary read is simply tracking your lead blocker's path and cutting off his block once the edge defender or flowing linebacker is accounted for.
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is in a run-heavy front with linebackers stacked tight to the box, since End Around Lead is designed to punish overcommitted box defenders. Key the backside defensive end and outside linebacker discipline. Teams that train their EDGE defenders to sit and read the mesh point rather than crash will blow this play up immediately. Watch for a user-controlled defender spying the backfield motion instead of biting on the initial flow, since a disciplined spy or contain defender erases the numbers advantage the lead blocker creates. Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells with disciplined force players on the edge tend to shut this down, while single-high looks that rotate linebackers hard to the play call's initial direction get gashed. Post-snap, track the lead blocker's target. If the defense has a linebacker or safety flowing fast enough to meet the fullback in the hole, the play has no answer and should be abandoned for a few series.
Call this play when the defense has shown aggressive downhill run fits or inside linebacker flow toward the strong side on previous snaps, since the counter action to the perimeter exploits overpursuit.
Use it in early down situations, ideally first or second and short to medium, so a stuffed run does not put you in a bad down and distance hole.
Pair it in a sequence with HB Counter and H Misdirection Str from the same Bunch Base set so the defense sees similar backfield flow and hesitates to diagnose the ball carrier quickly.
Watch the defensive ends and outside linebackers pre-snap. If they are crashing hard down the line on early downs, this play punishes that aggression by getting outside their leverage.
Take the user-controlled defender out of the picture by calling this after you have shown inside zone or power concepts, forcing the human opponent to respect the A and B gaps before committing to the edge.