Percy Harvin WR/HB role

[PDuncanOSU]

I've modeled my custom playbook based off of Urban Meyer's (except I use some pistol as well as shotgun) and have an athlete recruit committed in my OD as HC of Auburn that I plan to use in the "Percy Harvin Role." His applicable ratings are:
Speed 98
Agility 92
Accel 96
Break Tackle 70
Elusive 93
Spin 92
Juke 94
Carry 80
Catch 70
Route 69
Release 65
CIT 60
Most formations seem to have a package that moves the HB to a slot or receiver position and since he has better running skills I thought I'd put in at HB. I wondered though, if it would be worth it to put him at WR to develop his receiving skills and use formation subs or more jet sweeps and motion option plays to get him the ball running to the outside.
Has anyone had an athlete like this and have any suggestions on the best way to use them?

[CLW]

I've modeled my custom playbook based off of Urban Meyer's (except I use some pistol as well as shotgun) and have an athlete recruit committed in my OD as HC of Auburn that I plan to use in the "Percy Harvin Role." His applicable ratings are:
Speed 98
Agility 92
Accel 96
Break Tackle 70
Elusive 93
Spin 92
Juke 94
Carry 80
Catch 70
Route 69
Release 65
CIT 60
Most formations seem to have a package that moves the HB to a slot or receiver position and since he has better running skills I thought I'd put in at HB. I wondered though, if it would be worth it to put him at WR to develop his receiving skills and use formation subs or more jet sweeps and motion option plays to get him the ball running to the outside.
Has anyone had an athlete like this and have any suggestions on the best way to use them?

Guys like this I usually play at "HB" unless they are "tall" and then use the package subs. You could also always put him as your #? HB and then put him also in the depth chart as WR as well.

[Oneback]

I like his Carry rating for the position your wanting to use him at, however his Catch, Route and Release isn't good enough to play in the slot, at least for me. I'd put him at HB.

[gschwendt]

For the past couple of seasons in ODs I've been running a lot of plays out of the Shotgun Wing Offset formations (normal & Wk). I would use the outside receiver to the right of the formation that's off the line as a "slotback". In one formation, I'd have a fast WR that could carry the ball and in the other, I'd have a fast HB. Using both, I would do very much like what you're wanting to do. Since there's a lot of auto-motion between those formations, I would motion the slotback on the majority of plays, sometimes to run it, sometimes as a decoy, etc.

I thought about doing a write-up of the offense but I don't have the time and also (as usual after running an offense for a few seasons), I got bored with it and have moved on.

Let me know if you have any questions but definitely take a look at:
Shotgun Wing Offset
Shotgun Wing Offset Wk

[PDuncanOSU]

I like his Carry rating for the position your wanting to use him at, however his Catch, Route and Release isn't good enough to play in the slot, at least for me. I'd put him at HB.

I was thinking the same thing at first, that his receiving ratings weren't very good so put him at HB. Because his running abilities are already very good though, I was wondering if it was worth it to put him at WR so his receiving ratings would progress and he could be a true dual-threat.

For the past couple of seasons in ODs I've been running a lot of plays out of the Shotgun Wing Offset formations (normal & Wk). I would use the outside receiver to the right of the formation that's off the line as a "slotback". In one formation, I'd have a fast WR that could carry the ball and in the other, I'd have a fast HB. Using both, I would do very much like what you're wanting to do. Since there's a lot of auto-motion between those formations, I would motion the slotback on the majority of plays, sometimes to run it, sometimes as a decoy, etc.

I thought about doing a write-up of the offense but I don't have the time and also (as usual after running an offense for a few seasons), I got bored with it and have moved on.

Let me know if you have any questions but definitely take a look at:
Shotgun Wing Offset
Shotgun Wing Offset Wk

I recently edited my custom playbook and added as many plays with options or run plays featuring a WR in motion, including the ones you mentioned. I've been trying out these plays in some play-now games and have been having some success with jet sweeps where the HB ends up being a lead blocker. Shotgun Normal, for example has some good plays with the slot in auto-motion to a jet sweep and some option.

[Oneback]

I was thinking the same thing at first, that his receiving ratings weren't very good so put him at HB. Because his running abilities are already very good though, I was wondering if it was worth it to put him at WR so his receiving ratings would progress and he could be a true dual-threat.

I'd say if you already have a HB capable of doing what he can at the position move him to WR and let him grow. If you leave him at WR without an athlete of his caliber at HB you're weakening two positions as he'll only be a role player at WR until he grows into the position while at the same time you don't have someone of his ability at HB. Even with him at HB you can formation sub him into the slot and use him in the ways your looking within those formations but then also use him as your primary back in the other formations.

[JeffHCross]

I'd put him at HB. If you put a WR on your depth chart at HB, his AGI and one other rating, I think CAR, go down. This would also affect formation subs. I haven't seen the reverse have any negative effects.

[gschwendt]

I'd put him at HB. If you put a WR on your depth chart at HB, his AGI and one other rating, I think CAR, go down. This would also affect formation subs. I haven't seen the reverse have any negative effects.

If you put a HB at WR, his CTH rating drops significantly.

[JeffHCross]

If you put a HB at WR, his CTH rating drops significantly.

Ah. That would make sense. (Well, as a counter to what happens in the reverse. Neither is logical.)

[PDuncanOSU]

I'd put him at HB. If you put a WR on your depth chart at HB, his AGI and one other rating, I think CAR, go down. This would also affect formation subs. I haven't seen the reverse have any negative effects.

If you put a HB at WR, his CTH rating drops significantly.

Ah. That would make sense. (Well, as a counter to what happens in the reverse. Neither is logical.)

Do these rating drops happen when you use the formation packages? Or just when you put someone out of position in the depth chart or with formation subs?

[gschwendt]

Do these rating drops happen when you use the formation packages? Or just when you put someone out of position in the depth chart or with formation subs?

Really no way to be certain since you can't really see their ratings in that situation. Only way to maybe test it would be to have a HB with 99 CTH and then see how he does.
As well, I've always debated whether even putting them in on the depth chart ratings drop is purely cosmetic or if it truly effected their performance.

[JeffHCross]

Same on the latter for me, G.

Though I've always assumed that formation subs and packages are the equivalent of putting them in that position on the depth chart. With the stop in AWR and any skills that would result.

[PDuncanOSU]

An update:
I advanced through the offseason last night and signed the ATH I mentioned and put him at HB where he is an 82 overall speed back. The surprise of the offseason though, was me being able to easily talk my Heisman candidate JR HB into returning for his senior year. He is now a 96 overall power back. I decided to put the speed back at #1 on my HB depth chart and the power back as HB #2. That way I can easily use package subs to get the power back in for my base, between-the-tackles, running game and the speed back moved to a WR spot for jet sweeps and option plays.

Here is my custom playbook. Power Spread

I tried to keep the passing game simple with a limited number of passing concepts, but out of a variety of formations to keep the defense from keying on the plays. I want my base play to be the read option, out of shotgun and pistol. I tried to put a standard inside run in each formation (that I think will be the quick formation "Run" audible) that I can switch to if the defense is cheating a LB outside to take the QB on the option. I also tried to get a playaction pass to correspond to as many of my run plays as possible so I can audible to them if the safeties start cheating up. I'm hoping by putting the runs and corresponding PA passes next to each other in the playbook, the "linked plays" function will work and I can get some big pass plays out of playaction.

[Escobar]

You don't have to put the linked plays next to each other to get them to work. I don't have Read option anywhere next to PA Read in formations, yet PA Read often comes up as a set up play. Same with others. As long as they are in your pb and same formation they will work together.

[PDuncanOSU]

You don't have to put the linked plays next to each other to get them to work. I don't have Read option anywhere next to PA Read in formations, yet PA Read often comes up as a set up play. Same with others. As long as they are in your pb and same formation they will work together.

I remembered seeing this post in the Wishlist and Feedback forum about some bugs with linked plays in custom playbooks. Figured it was better to be safe than sorry and also would be easier for me to keep track of which plays were linked.

[JeffHCross]

You don't have to put the linked plays next to each other to get them to work. I don't have Read option anywhere next to PA Read in formations, yet PA Read often comes up as a set up play. Same with others. As long as they are in your pb and same formation they will work together.

Not completely true. I had Read Option next to HB Slip Screen, and success with Read Option would make Slip Screen a Setup play.

Duncan, I can confirm that putting the PA plays adjacent to the base plays will work. Go Bucks!

[PDuncanOSU]

Not completely true. I had Read Option next to HB Slip Screen, and success with Read Option would make Slip Screen a Setup play.

Duncan, I can confirm that putting the PA plays adjacent to the base plays will work. Go Bucks!

I played my first game of the season with this playbook last night, Auburn(me) vs Arizona. The running game worked like I wanted it too with 100+ yards for both the speed and power backs and 50+ from my QBs when had to keep on read options, for just over 300 yards rushing for the team.

Even with all of that success running though, none of the PA passes that I thought should be linked plays ever said "Setup" or anything like it. I made sure to use run plays that had a corresponding PA pass that was right next to it in the playbook. Is there something else I could have done wrong for the linked play not to work? Or is it perhaps a bug in the playbook? I started the playbook using Ohio State's playbook.

[JeffHCross]

In a Play Now game, try running a lot of Wing Offset Read Option. I know that works. If it never sets up PA Read, try it again with Read Option in the middle of the row and PA Read to the right.

FYI, in Wing Offset Weak, PA Boot is linked to Read Option, not Off Tackle.

[PDuncanOSU]

In a Play Now game, try running a lot of Wing Offset Read Option. I know that works. If it never sets up PA Read, try it again with Read Option in the middle of the row and PA Read to the right.

FYI, in Wing Offset Weak, PA Boot is linked to Read Option, not Off Tackle.

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to test this out tonight while I'm waiting for our commish to advance the week.

[PDuncanOSU]

In a Play Now game, try running a lot of Wing Offset Read Option. I know that works. If it never sets up PA Read, try it again with Read Option in the middle of the row and PA Read to the right.

FYI, in Wing Offset Weak, PA Boot is linked to Read Option, not Off Tackle.

I moved the Read Option plays in "Shotgun 4WR Trio Str" and "Wing Offset" to the center of the row with it's corresponding PA Read play to the right and tested them in a play now game and was able to get both PA Read plays to be "set-up." I'm going to go back and test this with the rest of my playbook, but it looks like this was the answer.