Playbooks

Roll King

Nickel·3-3 Over·Nickel 4-2-5

Quick Reference

FormationNickel

In 2 playbooks

Patriots DefenseDefenseNFL Live Patriots DefenseDefense

Breakdown

Roll King is a play-action rollout concept built off the Nickel 4-2-5 personnel in the 3-3 Over set, designed to give the quarterback a moving pocket with a half-field read to one side. The scheme pulls extra protection to the rollout side while flooding that side with a high-low route combo, typically a corner or deep out paired with a flat or drag underneath, making it a strong man beater against aggressive slot corners and outside linebackers. The primary read progression starts with the deep outside route to see if the cornerback bites on the play fake, then works down to the underneath flat or drag for the quick throw if the top is capped.

Defensive Reads

Watch the flow of the linebackers at the snap, if they crash hard toward the play fake, the underneath flat route will be wide open for an easy pitch and catch. Key the cornerback on the rollout side, aggressive man corners who jump the run action leave the deep corner or out route uncovered for a big gain. Identify single high versus two high safety alignment before the snap, single high (Cover 3 or Cover 1) leaves more room over the top for the deep route, while two high shells like Cover 2 or Cover 4 will have help waiting to sink on that same route. Beware of a user controlled defender spying the rollout lane or dropping into a shallow zone underneath, this is the primary counter that shuts down both levels of the concept. Fast, disciplined zone blitzes or edge pressure that do not respect the play fake can collapse the pocket before the quarterback finishes the rollout, so protection and quick decision making are critical against blitz heavy defenses.

Usage Tips

Use pre-snap motion or a hot route check to confirm if the defense is showing man or zone before the snap, since Roll King punishes man coverage that overplays the run fake much more than it punishes disciplined zone drops.

Roll to the rollout side using the right stick or directional movement immediately after the play fake to maximize the extra time this concept buys you against edge pressure.

If you see a two high safety shell, expect a sinking zone defender underneath the deep route, so be ready to check down to the flat route instead of forcing the corner throw.

Pair Roll King with Cover 2 Roll or Roll 23 Cloud from this same set on defense to disguise your own coverage rotation tendencies if you are calling both sides of the ball, and on offense sequence it after a base run to sell the play fake harder.

Best called on early downs, first or second and short to medium, when defenses are more willing to bite on the run action and less likely to be in a pure pass shell.

Other Plays in 3-3 Over