Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
PA Cross out of Pistol Doubles Y Off Stack uses play action to hold the linebackers before releasing a deep crosser from the stacked receiver that works all the way across the field and up the seam behind it. The backside receiver runs a corner route off a vertical stem while the outside receiver on the play side clears out on a deep out and go, and the running back leaks out to the flat as a checkdown after selling the fake. This is a play-action man beater at its core since the crosser is designed to run away from man defenders, though it also stresses zone defenders who have to sink and wall off the middle of the field. Primary read progression starts with the crosser working left to right, then works to the corner route if the safety bites on the fake, with the running back in the flat as the built-in checkdown.
Defensive Reads
Check safety depth before the snap, a single high safety cheating toward the play side signals Cover 3 or Cover 1 which allows the crosser to work into open grass in the middle of the field. Watch the linebackers at the snap, if they sit and read instead of stepping up on the fake the play action is not selling and the crosser will have a defender waiting underneath. Man coverage on the stacked receivers is where this play hurts defenses most since the natural stack alignment creates a rub that separates the crosser from the trailing defender. Cover 2 with hard corners sitting on the flat can jump the crosser's shallow crossing angle, so user the flat defender to bait the quarterback into the corner route or the deep crosser instead. Blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge without accounting for the running back leak can be exposed if the running back releases late into the flat as a checkdown outlet.
Usage Tips
Look for linebackers cheating up into run support pre-snap since that confirms the play action fake will hold them long enough for the crosser to work open.
Use motion or a hard count to identify man versus zone before the snap, this play thrives against man coverage when the crosser gets a natural pick or rub off the stack alignment.
If you see two deep safeties holding their shell post snap, work the crosser underneath quickly instead of forcing the corner route into a Cover 2 defender sitting on top.
Pair this play with HB Dive or Wide Zone from the same set to sell the run fake convincingly, then hit PA Cross once the defense starts flowing hard to the run action.
Use this on second and short or first down to maximize the effectiveness of the play fake, since defenses respect the run more in those situations and bite harder on linebacker flow.
