Playbooks
At a Glance
In 1 playbook
Overview
Maryland I Close is the tightest alignment in the formation, pulling both tight ends into attached positions next to the tackles while the fullback and halfback stay stacked behind the quarterback in the traditional I look. Where other Maryland I sets push a tight end out to a wing or flex a receiver into the slot to create horizontal spacing, Close compresses everything inside the numbers and forces the defense to declare its run fits before the snap. That compression is the point: with 12 personnel and two attached tight ends, most opponents check into base or big nickel, which gives you linebackers and safeties in run support rather than extra corners in coverage.
The play list is built around that heavy look. Duo, Power O, HB Lead Dive, and HB Toss all attack downhill with the fullback as an extra lead blocker, and the two attached tight ends give you double teams on both edges plus a natural kick out man on the toss. Once the defense commits to stopping the interior gap scheme, the shift play action series takes over. SFT PA Sprint HB Flat, Sft Mtn PA Sprint HB Flat, PA Boot, PA FB Sail, and PA Power O all sell the same downhill footwork before moving the quarterback off the spot, which is how you beat a user who is aggressively spying the A gaps.
The pass concepts here are designed to isolate tight ends against linebackers rather than beat corners outside. DBL Outs, SFT PA Double Cross, and Mesh HB Rail all work off the compressed alignment: because the tight ends start attached, they release into voided flat and hook zones with a free path, and any man coverage assignment on them is a linebacker or strong safety who loses on a release inside. Mesh HB Rail in particular gives you a rub concept in the middle of the field with the halfback leaking up the seam, which punishes single high shells that rotate down to stop the run. The Gadget tag flags the misdirection element in the shift and motion plays, which is where this set generates most of its explosive gains.
Strengths
- Elite run pass conflict from the shift play action series: SFT PA Sprint HB Flat and Sft Mtn PA Sprint HB Flat use identical pre snap movement to the gap scheme runs, so a user linebacker cannot read the mesh point before committing.
- Mesh HB Rail is a premium man beater, with the tight end crossers creating natural rubs and the halfback rail route running away from any linebacker matched up in the flat.
- DBL Outs punishes soft Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells because both out routes sit down in the void between the corner and the flat defender, and you can hot route the halfback on an angle to give yourself a checkdown against man.
- Two attached tight ends plus a fullback means Duo, Power O, and PA Power O get double teams at the point of attack without needing a pulling guard to travel far, which limits nano blitz penetration.
- Compressed alignment forces base or big nickel personnel, so your tight ends are frequently covered by linebackers with poor man coverage ratings on the seam and rail concepts.
Weaknesses
- No pre snap width means edge pressure arrives fast on PA Boot and PA FB Sail, and if the opponent overloads the side you are rolling toward the play is dead before the quarterback resets his feet.
- Almost every pass concept develops slowly, so heavy inside pressure and A gap blitzes force you to abandon the progression and rely on the fullback or halfback checkdown.
- The pass game is tight end dependent, so an opponent who user controls the strong safety or a coverage linebacker over the middle can bracket your primary target on Mesh HB Rail and SFT PA Double Cross.
- Compressed splits make Cover 2 and quarters robber looks difficult to attack vertically because there is no field stretch to move the safeties off the hash.
- Tendency reads are easy: if you lean on Duo, HB Lead Dive, and Power O early, opponents will sit in base with both safeties down and dare you to throw outside the numbers.
Usage Tips
Establish the gap scheme runs first. Duo, Power O, and HB Lead Dive on early downs get the opponent committing linebackers downhill, which is what makes the shift play action series and Mesh HB Rail hit for chunk yardage later.
Read the safeties before the snap. Single high with a rotated down safety means Mesh HB Rail and PA FB Sail are live off the vacated middle, while two high shells point you toward DBL Outs and the flat concepts against soft zone.
Use the shift and motion elements on SFT HB Zone Wk and Sft Mtn Zone WK to identify man or zone. If a defender travels with the motion you have man coverage and can go straight to the crossers on SFT PA Double Cross.
Hot route a tight end on a drag or slant when you see an interior blitz look, because it gives you an immediate answer that beats a linebacker vacating his hook responsibility.
Save HB Toss and PA Boot for third down and short or goal line situations where the defense has crowded the box, since the edge is the only real space available in a compressed alignment.
Do not run PA Boot or PA FB Sail into an obvious overload. Audible to an inside run or check to a quick hitter so you are not asking the quarterback to escape into the pressure.
