Playbooks
Breakdown
PA Dagger from Pistol Trips uses play action to hold the linebackers before attacking the seam and deep middle. The backside X runs a corner route while the two inside trips receivers stack a deep vertical and a dig underneath it, creating the classic dagger combo, and the flanker out of the backfield area runs a flat route opposite an inline TE drag underneath. Off the play fake, the primary read progression starts with the deep dig sitting behind the linebackers, then works to the vertical clearing the top of the zone, and checks down to the flat or drag if the middle of the field is jumped.
Defensive Reads
Pre snap, identify if the defense shows two safeties deep or rotates to single high, since this determines whether the dig or the corner is the better shot Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if they bite hard on the play fake the underneath dig window opens immediately for an easy completion Key any user controlled defender sitting in a lurk position near the dig route, since a smart user will jump that throwing lane and bait the quarterback into a pick Look for cover 3 zone drops with the flat defender staying wide, this leaves the deep middle vulnerable to the vertical clearing route Beware nano blitzes or interior pressure up the middle since the play action fake takes time to develop and can expose the quarterback before the dig or corner comes open
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs or second and medium to sell the run fake and freeze linebackers before they can drop into the dig window
Check the safety alignment pre snap, against two high shells the dig sits in the honey hole between the underneath zone and the deep half, so target it quickly before the flat defender can wall it off
Against single high looks, trust the corner route on the backside since the deep dig has less room and the safety can rob the throwing lane
Hot route the flat route to a drag or spot route if you see man coverage on the running back to give yourself an easy underneath conversion
Pair this play with PA Ctr Waggle and PA Boot in your call sheet since the run fake action looks identical and forces linebackers to respect the play action every snap
