Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
HB Slip Screen out of Singleback Wing Slot is a designed screen pass that sells drop back pass with two vertical routes from the inline receivers up top and an out and up breaking route from the far slot to pull coverage away from the backfield. Up front the offensive line releases downfield to set up blocking angles while the HB slips out to the flat behind the line of scrimmage for the screen. The primary read progression is the HB in the flat first, since the entire concept is designed to get him the ball in space with blockers leading, and the two vertical routes and the breakout route are there purely as clear out options if the defense sniffs out the screen immediately.
Defensive Reads
Diagnose screen intent by watching your defensive line, if they immediately collapse upfield without containing the edges you are vulnerable to the slip screen. Keep at least one linebacker with eyes on the backfield rather than dropping fully into zone, a spy or scrape technique defender can blow this play up before it develops. Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells with deep zone drops are the most exploitable since underneath defenders bite on the vertical clear out routes and vacate the flat. Man coverage with press corners can struggle here too if the linebackers overcommit to man responsibilities on the two vertical seam routes, leaving no one to react to the screen. Beat this play with disciplined outside linebackers who stay home on early downs, or with a delayed blitz where the edge defender contains rather than crashes, forcing the HB to catch the screen with no room to work.
Usage Tips
Call this against aggressive four man rushes and delayed blitzes since the extra rushers create running lanes once your linemen get out in front of the HB.
Watch the defensive line pre-snap and if you see stacked interior alignments or edge rushers crashing hard, the screen will hit even faster because those defenders take themselves out of the play.
Use manual control on your lead blocker at the snap to seal off the first defender who diagnoses the screen, this is critical against user controlled linebackers who sit and read the backfield.
Pair this with HB Dive or Inside Zone Split earlier in a series so linebackers start keying run fits, then hit them with this slip screen to punish overaggressive fits to the line.
Best called on early downs or after a string of inside runs, avoid third and long situations since a blown blocking assignment leaves your HB in the backfield with no outlet.
