Run vs pass

Personnel tip

Count who is on the field before the snap. More big bodies (tight ends, extra linemen, a fullback look) often leans run. More receivers split wide often leans pass. It is a hint, not a lock. See glossary and positions.

Run looks

First steps go downhill or stretch the defense sideways. Two boards to know:

Inside zone — the back takes the handoff and picks the best hole up the middle. Outside zone — the run aims wide first, then the back cuts where the gap opens.

Pass looks

Receivers release into routes; the ball is meant to be thrown. Three boards only:

Slant — a quick cut inside. Go / fade — straight-line speed, stretch the field. Screen — invite the rush, then throw behind it.

The fake

Some snaps are hybrid: they look like a run and a pass at the same time. Don’t invent extra packages — these two boards cover it.

Play-action — fake the handoff so linebackers bite, then throw. RPO — run and pass live on the same snap; the QB reads one defender.

Analyst frame

Before the snap, ask: yards on the ground, or a throw? Personnel plus first steps usually answer. If it still looks like both, you are watching a hybrid.

Personnel + first steps tell you run, pass, or both.