Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 96 playbooks
Breakdown
FB Dive out of Goal Line Offense lines up the fullback directly behind the QB under center and hands the ball off on a straight downhill dive through the A-gap. The offensive line uses a standard double-team dive blocking scheme up front, sealing the interior gaps to create a crease for the fullback to burst through immediately. This is a pure run play designed for short yardage and goal line situations, with the primary read being the FB identifying which A-gap or B-gap opens up based on the initial surge of the line.
Defensive Reads
Watch for a 6 or 7 man box pre-snap, this play struggles against overloaded goal line fronts with extra defensive linemen. Key the middle linebacker depth, if he is sitting shallow and square he is reading run and will crash the dive immediately. Identify any nano blitz packages where interior linebackers are stacked tight to the line, as these can blow up the dive before the fullback reaches the line of scrimmage. Look for user-controlled defenders spying the A-gaps, a smart defender will sit and wait rather than bite on the initial line movement. Check safety alignment, if both safeties are up near the box this play will have very little room to operate since it removes deep run support concerns for the defense.
Usage Tips
Use this play almost exclusively in 3rd or 4th and short, or when you are inside the 5 yard line and need a tough conversion. Check pre-snap for a stacked box with 8 or more defenders, if the defense shows heavy run commitment consider audibling to a play-action pass instead. Pair this with PA Waggle or PA Sprint HB Flat from the same formation to keep defenses honest after they start selling hard on the dive look. Snap the ball quickly to avoid giving linebackers extra time to read the mesh point and crash the line of scrimmage. Manually control the fullback after the handoff so you can bounce outside if both interior gaps get clogged.
