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Quick Reference
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Breakdown
PA TE Screen Gt is a play-action tight end screen out of Singleback Doubles, designed to punish aggressive pass rushers and blitz-heavy defenses. The offensive line sells a Gut/Trap run block up front while the tight end slips out to the flat behind a wall of guards pulling to lead the screen. The primary read is the TE in the screen, and this is purely a blitz and man-beater since it isolates the tight end against outmatched defensive ends or overpursuing linebackers rather than attacking a zone shell.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if the Mike or a nearby linebacker is sitting in a shallow zone drop near the TE alignment, that defender can sink and blow up the screen instantly. Watch for defensive ends selling hard upfield on the play-action, disciplined edge defenders who stay home or read screen will collapse the pocket before blockers get set. Post-snap, track any user-controlled defender spying the backfield or lurking in the shortside flat, that is the biggest threat to jump the route and take it to the house. This play dies against Cover 3 Sky or Cover 4 looks with linebackers trained to sit on screens, but it shreds Cover 0 and man blitz packages where defenders are locked on receivers and vacate underneath. If the defense shows all out pressure with no shallow zone defender near the TE release, trust the blocking numbers and let the screen develop.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or second and long when the defense has shown pressure tendencies on previous snaps.
Check the defensive line splits and linebacker depth pre-snap, if you see wide nine techniques or LBs crashing downhill on run action this play will gash them.
Hot route the outside receivers into quick hitches or blocks if you see man coverage rolling toward the TE screen side to buy the pulling guards extra time.
Pair this with Inside Zone or HB Power O earlier in a drive so the defense keys run action and bites harder on the play-action fake.
Avoid calling this into zone shells with a spy or against defenses that consistently drop a linebacker into the screen lane, since it kills the play before the TE gets outside.
