Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
PA Boot is a play-action rollout out of the Pistol Ace Slot 12 personnel set. The fake handoff pulls linebackers up while the QB boots to the right side of the formation, matching the flow of the blue flat route from the inline TE and the red corner route breaking outside from the slot TE. On the backside, the two receivers run a deep post/dig combo, with one crossing over the middle and the other clearing vertically to hold the safety. The primary read progression starts with the flat route as the first option, works to the corner route as the intermediate read, and comes back to the backside crosser as the deep answer if the boot side is capped.
Defensive Reads
Watch for man coverage on the flat route defender since a quick jump on the route can bait a pick six if the corner sits on the route break. Identify if the strong safety is cheating down into the box pre-snap, which signals man coverage or a run blitz that the play-action fake will exploit. Post-snap, key the middle linebacker's drop, if he sprints to the flat area or spies the boot side he can undercut both the flat and corner routes. Zone shells with a flat defender sinking under the corner route and a deep third safety rotating over the top will shut this play down, forcing the QB to hold the ball and check down late. Watch for a user controlled defender lurking in the shallow crossing lane on the backside dig, since that route is the last read and vulnerable to a jump if the QB stares it down too long.
Usage Tips
Run this on early downs or in play-action neutral situations where linebackers are still respecting the run fake from Pistol. Check pre-snap for single high safety alignment since the corner route on the boot side will have room if the safety bites on the run action. If you see two deep safeties, hot route the flat route into a quick out or speed up the corner route to attack the seam before the safety rotates over. Pair this with HB Power O or HB Counter earlier in the drive so the linebackers start keying run fits, then hit PA Boot to punish overpursuit. Use play-action rollout protection to buy time, and if the pocket collapses on the boot side, checkdown to the flat route rather than forcing the corner throw into a converging safety.
