Bubble Screen: a 5v5 flag football play
The slot bows back and outside for a toss behind the line, then turns upfield. Pressure can't get there in time, and the outside receiver's go route takes their defender deep. In tackle football the outside receiver would block. In flag football they can't, so the play works by clearing space, not sealing it.
Opens the free play maker with Bubble Screen added, ready to edit and print on a wristband card.
How Bubble Screen works
- Y takes a step back and bows to the sideline, catching the ball behind the line with momentum going upfield.
- Z runs a hard go route to take their defender deep. Don't slow down or stand in the defender's path.
- X runs a backside slant in case the defense overplays the screen.
- C releases 4 yards and sits in the middle.
The quarterback's read
- Throw the bubble right after the catch-and-set, before Y turns upfield.
- If a defender is already sitting on the bubble, throw the backside slant.
Coaching points
- Throw it flat or slightly backward. A pass that's parallel to the line counts as backward.
- Z must run a real route. Slowing down in front of a defender to wall them off is a shielding foul.
- Y catches first, then turns upfield.
When to call it
Against a blitz, against a defense crowding the line, and to get a fast player the ball in space.
For youth teams
Great for young teams: short throw, easy catch, and the fastest kid gets the ball running.
Rules check
IFAF (5v5, 7v7 and beach)
The toss is a backward pass, which is legal behind the line (R 7-2-1), and Y may then run with it. Two rules to know: Z can't stand in a defender's path, because that's shielding (R 9-2-2-a), and the bubble is illegal inside a no-run zone, where a pass caught behind the line makes it an illegal run play (AR 7-1-3-V).
NFL FLAG and other rulebooks
NFL FLAG allows backward passes behind the line, and every forward pass must cross the line, so the toss must go backward. The play works without any screening, so it doesn't depend on your league's screening rule. Not legal in either no-run zone (5 yards before midfield and the goal line).
Rule numbers refer to the IFAF International Flag Football Rules 2023, the current edition. See the trick plays guide for the six rules that decide most plays.
Put Bubble Screen on a wristband
Add it to your playbook in the free play maker, change the routes to fit your team, and print numbered wristband cards and a coach's call sheet on regular paper.