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Breakdown
PA Close Cross runs a play-action fake out of the I Form Wing 22 personnel look, selling the run fake before releasing three routes into the pattern. The backside receiver runs a deep corner/flag route stemming away from the play, while the crosser cuts underneath from the opposite side, working all the way across the field on a shallow drive route. A third route works up the sideline on a vertical stem, stretching the field horizontally and vertically at the same time. This is a man beater at its core, since the crosser creates natural separation against man defenders trying to trail across traffic, and the deep corner route punishes any safety cheating down for the run fake. Primary progression starts with the crosser underneath, then works to the deep corner route if the safety bites on the play-action, with the vertical route as a checkdown against overplayed coverage.
Defensive Reads
Read the linebacker depth immediately after the snap, since shallow linebacker drops signal zone coverage and deep drops signal man or a spy underneath the crosser. Watch the safety alignment pre-snap, a single high safety means the crosser will have less help over the top and the corner route becomes the bigger threat. Identify if the defense sends a nano blitz off the edge, since the play-action fake can be exploited if a blitzer crashes hard and abandons the crosser lane. User lurk defenders sitting in the shallow crossing lane can jump this route, so bait them with the vertical route first if you see a defender sitting low in a zone shell. Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells with disciplined zone drops shut this play down quickly, since the crosser runs directly into the underneath zone defender's landmark.
Usage Tips
Run this out of run-heavy personnel like 22 to sell the play-action fake convincingly, since defenses respect the I Form Wing run threat with HB Lead and HB Power O in the same set.
Use pre-snap motion or a hard count to bait linebackers into showing blitz or run fits before the snap, then attack the vacated crosser lane.
If the defense shows single-high safety, prioritize the deep corner route since the safety will likely be occupied by the vertical route or a slot threat.
Pair this play with HB Lead and Close HB Lead earlier in a series to condition the defense into biting on the run fake, making the crosser and corner routes hit even harder later in the drive.
Best called on second and medium or third and long situations where the crosser has room to work and the defense is more likely to respect the pass over the run fake.
