Shallow Screens
5 Film Clip Examples of the Shallow Screen in Action
Teams have become more creative in their screen game over the years, especially at the college level. The rules at the college level allow a little more leeway than the NFL and the refs rarely enforce the blocking downfield on pass play rules to the strictness that they are written.
Shallow screens are a little different than your typical screen because the offensive line is not involved in the blocking scheme. The play looks like a typical drop back pass concept from the start with the offensive line setting pass. Depending on the scheme the running back will either fit into the pass protection or he will release out to be a blocker as well. One side of the formation will have receivers pressing vertical as if they releasing on a pass route before settling down and blocking the most dangerous defender. The opposite side of the pass concept will have a receiver running a shallow cross route at a depth under 2 yards from the line of scrimmage which allows the downfield receivers to block without getting called for a penalty. The deception in this play is that it looks like it is a downfield concept so defensive backs and linebackers are not expecting to be blocked and defensive coaches often times want offensive pass interference to be called because of the downfield blocks. Because the ball is caught within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage though, there is no offensive pass interference and it allows for some big gains for the offense. Here are some examples of this play in action.
2023 Michigan vs TCU
This was a huge play for TCU in the college football playoff early in the 4th quarter. Michigan brought pressure and played man behind it leaving their defensive back a long way to run to try and cover the shallow route. The slot receiver did a great job of pushing vertical off the line, blocking the man defending him for a count before turning back and picking off the defensive back trailing the shallow route. By doing this he created enough room for the receiver to find the sidelines for a 76 yard touchdown.
2022 SMU vs Maryland
Rhett Lashlee at SMU has brought a new flavor of Air Raid to Dallas. While he comes from the Gus Malzahn coaching tree, his offense looks a little more Lincoln Riley than it does shotgun Wing T. On this clip they make it look like a Mesh pass concept by crossing the receivers over the middle but the receiver who would be the high mesh is looking for a block instead of looking to get open.
2 Great Shallow Screen Resources!
Oklahoma Sooners Shallow Screen
Oklahoma adds a few variations into their shallow screen here as they switch release the outside receivers to the shallow side to force a rub on the man who is going to run the shallow. They also release the running back downfield and have him take the most dangerous man as he gets into the blocking scheme. This allows them to cover up the most dangerous threats to make the play and allows the receiver to run for a huge gain.
Oregon Ducks Shallow Screen
Oregon has always been on the cutting edge of offensive football and incorporating the shallow screen has been something they have added to their arsenal as they have evolved. Offensive coordinator Will Stein has always been one to steal from others when it fits and this play is no exception. Their rendition of it is from a 3x1 trips set with the RB leading out front as well. The receivers from the trips side come off the line for about 10 yards before looking inside to block the most dangerous man. The running back comes out of the backfield to block whoever is left by the wide outs and this leads to a big gain.
Oklahoma State Cowboys Shallow Screen
As you will see on the video, this example was not as successful as the previous four clips that we have shown. One of the main reasons for this is that the slot receiver should have pushed vertical more and then cracked a linebacker and the running back should have taken the outside alley defender. This could have influenced the defender inside more instead of him fighting off the stalk block. While the clip wasn't successful, it still gives you another idea of how you can incorporate this play yourself.
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