The Lions Playbook Ep. 5: The Screen Game

Oct 23, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate (15) is unable to complete a pass for a touchdown as he is forced out of bounds by Washington Redskins defensive back Greg Toler (20) during the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Detroit won 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

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Two Lions (Theo Riddick – 3rd, Golden Tate – 8th) finished 2015 in the NFL’s top ten YAC list. and the case is no different this season.

After a slow start to the season, Golden Tate leading all WRs in YAC with 284 yards.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) October 24, 2016

YAC can come in many different scenarios but the Lions primarily utilize screen passes to get these playmakers in the open field to get easy yards. But, what is a screen pass?

Short and simple, a screen pass is a quick pass concept where the receiver catches the ball while behind the line of scrimmage. This allows the offensive line to go down the field to block whereas is a normal pass scenario, they would be flagged for illegal man downfield.

The Lions utilize five basic screen philosophies in their playbook, we will look at all five and how the Lions find success with them on game day.

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