Playbooks
At a Glance
In 2 playbooks
Overview
Full House Over Close is the most condensed alignment in the Pistol formation family, packing 21 personnel into a compressed box with both backs flanking the halfback behind the quarterback and the tight end tucked tight to the line. The "Over Close" tag pulls the receiver split down to a nub or tight slot alignment, which means the defense gets almost no horizontal stress pre-snap. Where a standard Pistol set with three receivers forces the defense to declare coverage across the field, this set invites the box to load up and then punishes it with misdirection, pullers, and play-action shots off run action.
Strengths
- HB Dive and HB Stretch attack the same front from opposite tracks, so you can hammer the A gap on one snap and bounce outside the next without changing personnel or tipping the play with motion.
- Counter Y-Lead gives you a true two-puller power concept with a lead blocker in front, which is the single best answer to base 4-3 and 3-4 fronts that are not committing an extra hat to the box.
- PA Boot Lt and PA Flood X-Post Stop sell run action off the same backfield look, and the flood concept naturally high-lows the sideline against Cover 3 and Cover 2 while the boot gets your quarterback outside contain pressure.
- Deep Choice Y-Option is a legitimate man beater from the tight slot, and the option stem lets you sit it down against zone or break it away from a trailing defender in single high.
- Compressed splits create natural rub and traffic on crossing routes, so hot routing a back on a drag or slant across the formation generates free releases against man coverage.
Weaknesses
- Only two eligible receivers are aligned wide or in the slot, so a user-controlled defender can sit on your primary read and shrink the field without much risk.
- Condensed splits let edge blitzers and slot pressure arrive on a shorter path, and the play-action concepts have no built-in quick answer if the free rusher comes off the closed side.
- Heavy 21 personnel invites base defense with loaded box counts, and against dedicated run commit or a nano blitz off the tight end side the interior run game stalls immediately.
- There is no vertical field stretch in most of the play art, so a two high shell defender can play top down and sit on the intermediate stems without fear of getting beat over the top.
- The formation tips run heavy tendency on early downs, and good opponents will pattern match your Counter Y-Lead and Stretch calls after two or three showings.
Usage Tips
Read the box count pre-snap: if the defense has six or fewer in the box with a single high safety, run Counter Y-Lead or HB Stretch and let your lead blocker climb to the second level.
Set up PA Boot Lt only after you have committed to Dive and Stretch, because the boot depends on linebackers biting downhill and the backside end chasing the run fit.
Against Cover 3 and Cover 6 look for PA Flood X-Post Stop, then read the flat defender first and work up the ladder to the intermediate crosser if he sinks.
Hot route one of the backs to a flat or slant against man coverage looks to create a natural rub off the compressed splits, especially when the defense walks a linebacker over the tight end.
Use this set in short yardage, goal line, and four minute situations where 21 personnel run threat forces the defense to keep a base front on the field.
Audible out to a spread set from this alignment if you see run commit or bear front, and let the mismatch personnel work in space instead of fighting a loaded box.
