Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 13 playbooks
Breakdown
FB Dive Strong out of the I Form Pro set lines the fullback up as the ball carrier, taking a direct handoff and hitting the strong side A or B gap immediately off the snap. The offensive line down blocks and climbs to the second level while the HB leads through as an extra blocker to seal off the linebacker filling the alley. This is a pure run play designed to punish light boxes and overaggressive edge pressure, with the primary read being the strong side A gap first, bouncing to the B gap if the nose or Mike linebacker fills inside.
Defensive Reads
Check the strong side linebacker depth pre-snap, if he is stacked tight to the line he can blow up the dive before the fullback gets vertical. Identify whether the defensive tackle is a two gap player, since that alignment clogs the strong side A gap and forces a slower developing bounce. Watch for user controlled Mike linebackers flowing downhill immediately at the snap, a well timed shoot blitz through the A gap kills this play in the backfield. This play struggles against a heavy 8 man box or Cover 0 blitz packages that sell out to stop the interior run. It beats light boxes and defenses that spread out in nickel or dime personnel to defend the pass, since there are fewer bodies to fill run gaps.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs when the defense shows a 6 man box or lighter to exploit numbers up front.
Watch for the Mike linebacker creeping into the strong side A gap pre-snap, that tells you to bounce the run to the B gap on the snap.
Use this play as a tempo changer after running HB Dive Fake HB or PA Power O to keep linebackers honest and slow down their run fits.
Avoid calling this against stacked 8 man boxes or defenses showing Cover 0, since there is no threat to hold linebackers outside the box.
Pair this with Power O and HB Lead Draw in your play calling sequence to keep the defense guessing between fullback dive, gap runs, and delayed hits.
