Playbooks

QB Blast

Pistol·Ace Slot·12

Likely unavailable in the playbook builder

This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Diagram coming soon

Quick Reference

FormationPistol

SetAce Slot

Personnel

121 RB · 2 TE · 2 WR

In 2 playbooks

Sim Multirolepersonnel Ba OffenseOffense Sim Multirolepersonnel Rn OffenseOffense

Breakdown

QB Blast is a quarterback sneak style run play out of the Pistol Ace Slot 12 personnel that hands the design straight to the QB for a north-south hit through the A gap. The offensive line fires off the ball with a downhill zone push, and the fullback or blocking TE leads through the hole to seal the first level defender. This is a pure gap run concept with no play-action or RPO element, so the primary read is simply hitting the initial crease and following the double team push up front, with a cutback lane to the backside A gap as the secondary option if the play side gets clogged.

Defensive Reads

Watch the middle linebacker depth pre snap, if he is sitting shallow and downhill you are likely facing a run blitz look that can blow up the play before the line gets movement. Identify whether the defense is in a base 4-3 or 3-4 front, an odd front with a nose tackle head up on the center makes this play much harder to execute cleanly. Look for defenders shading the play side A gap, if the defensive tackle is already lined up in the gap the double team block will not seal in time and you should audible away from this call. On the snap, key the safety rotation, if both safeties are crashing down into the box on short yardage you are facing an all out run stop shell and the cutback lane becomes essential. Beware user controlled defenders spying the QB from a linebacker alignment, a good user player will shoot the gap immediately and this play has almost no answer once that gap is filled.

Usage Tips

Save QB Blast for short yardage and goal line situations, third or fourth and one, or any spot where you need a guaranteed one to two yards without exposing your QB to a big hit in the open field.

Check the box count before the snap, if the defense has stacked the box with eight or more defenders this play will not have room to work so bail into a play action shot from PA Boot or PA Ctr Waggle instead.

Use this as a changeup after running HB Dive or HB Slam a few times, the defense keys on the HB getting the ball and the QB Blast punishes linebackers who flow hard to the running back's side.

Do not call this on early downs against aggressive interior blitz packages, if you see two linebackers creeping into the A gaps pre snap, motion out of it if possible or check to Speed Option to attack the edge instead.

Pair this with Read Option and Freeze Option Rt in your play calling sequence so the defense has to respect both the give and the QB keep, making the interior blast harder to key on.