Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
HB Dive out of Pistol Doubles is a pure downhill run play with the RB aligned directly behind the QB, taking a quick handoff and hitting the interior gap immediately off the snap. The offensive line uses a straight man/down blocking scheme with double teams at the point of attack to seal the middle of the defensive front, while the two outside receivers on each side run off their defenders to prevent help defenders from crashing down. This is a run play designed to attack light boxes and beat aggressive edge pressure, with the primary read being the RB identifying the first open crease between the guards and getting skinny through the line before working vertical against the second level.
Defensive Reads
Stack the box with a run-fitting linebacker or extra safety to shut this play down since it has no RPO read to punish light boxes. Watch for the Mike linebacker crashing downhill immediately at the snap, which signals a run blitz that can blow this play up before the RB gets to the line. Defensive tackles that shoot gaps rather than reading blocks can beat the double team and disrupt the timing of the dive. On the user side, spy or shade a defender into the A or B gap to close the crease the RB is designed to hit, and avoid biting on any receiver motion since none is present on this play. Corners and safeties should still respect the outside receivers releasing vertically in case the offense checks into a pass, but their main job on this look is to stay disciplined and not open running lanes by cheating too far inside.
Usage Tips
Check the box count before the snap and only run this against six or fewer defenders in the box to avoid getting stuffed by an extra run defender. Use this play on early downs, especially first and second and short to medium, to keep the offense on schedule without exposing the QB. Motion is not built into this play so identify Mike linebacker depth and blitz indicators before the snap since there is no time to adjust once the ball is snapped. Pair HB Dive with HB Slam and HB Zone in the same set to keep the defense guessing on interior run direction and blocking scheme, then mix in Read Option and Jet Inside Zone to punish linebackers who start cheating downhill. Once the defense starts selling out against the run, call PA Ctr Waggle or PA Boot from this same formation to hit them with play-action off the identical backfield look.
