Playbooks

HB Mid Zone

Singleback·Doubles·11
Likely unavailable in the playbook builder
This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Quick Reference

FormationSingleback

In 2 playbooks

Sim Multirolepersonnel Ba OffenseOffenseSim Multirolepersonnel Rn OffenseOffense

Breakdown

HB Mid Zone is a zone blocking run play out of Singleback Doubles that sends the offensive line flowing laterally to seal backside gaps while the halfback presses the mesh point and reads his blockers. This is a run play, not a pass concept, so there is no man or zone beater route tree to worry about. The primary read progression for the ball carrier is inside out: press the playside A gap, and if it is clogged, bounce to the B gap or cut back against backside pursuit if the defense overflows.

Defensive Reads

Identify the defensive front pre-snap, this run struggles against odd fronts with a stacked nose tackle that can two gap and clog both A gaps simultaneously. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if the Mike and Will linebackers are sitting shallow and scraping fast, expect the play to get strung out to the sideline with little cutback room. Check safety alignment before the snap, a single high safety shell usually means an extra defender in the box, which favors the defense against this zone run. Look for user controlled defenders flowing hard downhill immediately after the snap, since aggressive user pursuit can be exploited by cutting back against the grain. This run gets shut down by heavy run blitzes and A gap pressure packages, so if you see linebackers walked up showing blitz, consider checking to a quick pass instead.

Usage Tips

Run this out of 11 personnel when the defense shows a light box with six or fewer defenders to maximize your blocking numbers advantage.

Use pre-snap motion sparingly since this is a straightforward zone run, but check the box count before the snap to confirm you are not running into a stacked front.

Pair HB Mid Zone with HB Power O and HB Cutback in the same personnel grouping so the defense cannot key on blocking scheme tendencies snap after snap.

On early downs, call this after a couple of quick pass completions like Curl Flats or Slants to soften up linebacker run fits and slow their downhill trigger.

User the fullback or lead blocker if available, otherwise take manual control of the halfback immediately after the handoff to press the hole and set up your cutback lane.

Avoid calling this on clear passing downs since a stacked box with extra linebackers will erase the zone rushing lanes before they develop.

Other Plays in Doubles