Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
HB Pitch out of Singleback Wing Tight Z is an outside toss run that gets the ball to the halfback quickly with a lead-blocking convoy to the edge. The diagram shows the offensive line and wing tight end releasing to seal the point of attack while the backfield motion sends the ball carrier laterally toward the sideline before turning upfield. This is a pure run play designed to attack the edge and outrun pursuit, not a play-action or RPO look, so the primary read is patience behind your blockers followed by a quick decision to bounce outside or cut upfield once the edge is sealed.
Defensive Reads
Watch for scrape exchange linebackers and quick-flowing safeties, both of which are the primary counters to outside toss concepts and can blow this play up in the backfield. Check the alignment of the force defender, usually the outside linebacker or slot corner, since a defender who stays home on the edge instead of crashing will limit this play to minimal gain. Man coverage shells with off-ball linebackers reading run keys tend to struggle containing pitch plays because their leverage is tied to receivers rather than the box. Zone fronts, especially those with a 3-technique shaded away from the play side, create natural running lanes for this toss since the play side guard has an easier angle to reach the second level. If the defense shows heavy blitz pressure off the edge pre-snap, this play can get negative yardage quickly since the pitch takes longer to develop than an inside handoff, so be ready to check to a quicker-hitting run.
Usage Tips
Use HB Pitch on early downs when the defense shows a light box or has shifted personnel to defend the pass, since the toss action punishes overpursuit and out-leveraged edge defenders.
Check the defensive line splits and outside linebacker depth pre-snap. If the edge defender is crashing hard down the line, this play can bounce outside for explosive yardage.
Pair HB Pitch with HB Counter Wk and HB Counter U in your play-calling sequence to keep the defense guessing between misdirection and true edge speed, since all three attack similar landmarks but with different timing.
User the pulling blocker or wing tight end to manually seal the force defender on the perimeter, this manual assignment often decides whether the play busts outside or gets strung out for a loss.
Avoid calling this into stacked boxes with fast-flowing linebackers, since the lateral toss action gives extra time for pursuit to close on the edge before the ball carrier can turn upfield.
