Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
PA X Post is a play-action shot play out of the Full House Pistol formation with 30 personnel, designed to hit a deep post from the X receiver off run fakes. The backfield sells the run with the fullback and halfback both crossing the formation on shallow routes while the play-action freezes the box, and the X receiver stems vertically before breaking hard to a deep post as the primary read. A second receiver runs a corner or wheel-style route up the far sideline, giving a vertical stretch on the opposite side while the underneath crossers hold linebackers and safeties. This is a man beater built to exploit safeties who bite on the play-action or press corners who cannot recover once the post breaks, and the primary progression starts with the deep post before working to the outside vertical route.
Defensive Reads
Watch for a single high safety shell pre-snap, since Cover 1 or Cover 3 with one deep defender leaves the post route isolated against a corner with no help over the top. Identify if linebackers step up hard on the play-action fake, as aggressive run blitz packages or a nano blitz through the A gap will leave the deep post and crossing routes wide open behind them. Two deep safeties in a Cover 2 or Cover 4 shell is the biggest red flag, since the post will run directly into a deep half or deep quarter defender sitting on top of the route. Track the user-controlled defender post-snap, if a human safety flies down to jump the underneath crossers, that is your signal to trust the post is singled up deep. Look for cornerback press alignment before the snap, since press man on the X receiver with no safety rotation over the top gets beaten easily once the post stems past the route stem and breaks inside.
Usage Tips
Sell the run fake fully by holding the play-action animation before looking downfield, since defenders keying on ball placement will jump underneath routes early if you rush your read.
Use this play on early downs like first or second and short to medium yardage where defenses are more likely to stay in base run fits and bite on the play-action.
Check the safety alignment pre-snap, a single high safety cheating toward the post side is a green light to throw it, while two deep safeties should send you to the outside vertical route instead.
Hot route the crossing routes into flat routes if you see man coverage with no safety help, this turns the underneath concept into quick man beaters against blitzes.
Pair this play with PA Comebacks or PA Boot from the same formation so defenses cannot sit on the deep post look, forcing linebackers to respect multiple run and pass fakes from identical pre-snap motion.
