Trips Swing Pass is very similar to another flag football play, the Trips Center Screen, conceptually except the roles of the center and running back are reversed. The play uses the same Trips formation, where there are triple receivers lined up wide and close together
The 3 wide receivers (A, B, D) line up to the far right near the sideline in a bunch (this is the same for all “Trips” formations). The quarterback (Q) is under center (C) and the running back (R) is lined up on the opposite side from where the wide outs are lined up, 3-4 yards deep.
At the snap of the ball the 3 wide receivers all run deep post patterns. These are the decoys. The center (C) will hesitate for a second then run a short slant toward the opposite sideline. The running back (R) comes behind the quarterback running parallel to the line of scrimmage. As the running back nears the sideline, in the area that the wide receivers (A, B, D) have vacated, he should turn up field. The quarterback (Q) should them be able to pass the ball aiming in front of the running back so that he is able to catch the pass on the run. It takes some practice but once executed correctly the “swing pass” is a very effective toss that gets your running back outside with the ball.
If the running back does not get open, the center (C) is the short dump off option.
- A fast hand-off to the running back (R)
- Faking a hand-off to the running back then throwing deep to one of the wide outs – D, B, or A.
See this play in action
