Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
PA Boot from Maryland I in the Tight Close set sells a heavy fullback-led run fake out of a two-back personnel look before the quarterback boots to the edge on a play-action rollout. The fake draws linebackers and safeties up to defend the box, opening up a flood concept to the boot side with a deep out or corner route, an intermediate crosser, and a checkdown to the flat from the fullback or tight end. This is a play-action man beater that also punishes zone defenses that over-pursue the run fake, and the primary read progression starts high to low: work the deep out or corner first, then come down to the intermediate crosser, and finally check it down to the flat if the pocket edge collapses.
Defensive Reads
Identify the coverage shell pre-snap by checking safety depth and count: single-high safety alignments tell you Cover 3 or Cover 1 are likely, both of which are vulnerable to the deep out and corner route on the boot side. Watch the linebackers at the snap. If they bite hard on the fullback run fake and flow toward the line, the crosser and flat route will have wide throwing lanes underneath. Beware Cover 4 or Cover 2 shells with safeties that stay deep and squat, since these shells can rob the deep out route and force you to check down early. Key the user-controlled defender, especially a lurking linebacker or safety who ignores the run fake and sits in the passing lanes, because this indicates a player spying the boot concept rather than a computer-controlled zone drop. Look for edge blitzes or contain rushers crashing the boot side, since a disciplined edge defender who stays home can collapse the rollout lane and force an early, inaccurate throw.
Usage Tips
Run this on early downs like first or second and short when defenses are still respecting the run out of Maryland I personnel, since the play-action fake loses value once the defense knows you are throwing every snap.
Check the safety alignment before the snap: if you see two deep safeties sitting still instead of creeping toward the box, the play fake will not hold them and you should consider a different call from the set like FB Fake HB Toss to keep them honest.
Use your rollout to buy time against edge pressure, but do not drift too far outside the tackle box or you risk an intentional grounding penalty if nothing opens up in time.
Pair this play with PA Power O and Power O earlier in a series to establish the fullback dive look, then hit PA Boot once linebackers start flowing hard downhill on run fakes.
Hot route the crosser into a deeper dig against off man coverage to create more separation, and consider sliding the fullback's route into the flat immediately versus Cover 3 to beat the curl-flat defender before he can sink.
