Playbooks
Breakdown
TE Attack out of Pistol Wing 12 personnel is a play-action flood concept built to attack Cover 3. Both outside receivers run vertical Go routes to clear out the deep thirds, the flanker runs a deep Corner route from the slot, and the inline TE releases on a quick Out to the flat, creating a high low flood on one side of the field. The play-action fake holds the linebackers and the run fits, giving the corner route a window behind the flat defender and in front of the deep third safety, with the primary read progressing from the Out in the flat to the Corner route and finally to the backside Go if the safety cheats over.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify single high versus two high safety alignment, single high strongly suggests Cover 3 which this flood concept is designed to beat. Watch the flat defender at the snap, if he sits and reads run instead of expanding to the TE Out, that is a sign of zone coverage and you should hit the Out quickly before he recovers. Key the deep third safety or corner over the top of the Corner route, if he stays flat footed reading the quarterback's eyes the window for the corner route will close fast. Man coverage with press corners and a linebacker spying the play-action fake is the toughest look for this play since it removes the natural zone voids. Watch for a user controlled defender sitting in the flat to lurk the Out route, that indicates the defense anticipates the flood and you should progress immediately to the Corner or backside Go.
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs or second and medium when defenses are still respecting the run fake out of Pistol Wing. Check the corner and safety depth pre-snap, if you see two deep safeties bail into Cover 2 or Cover 4, hot route the TE Out into a Flat or Drag to beat underneath zone defenders instead. Against Cover 3, trust the flood side, the Corner route sits in the natural hole between the curl flop defender and the deep third corner. Pair this with TE Stick or Curl Combo in your play sequence so the flood look on tape sets up the shorter combo routes off similar formation and personnel. If the user drops a defender into the flat immediately at the snap, expect Cover 3 and go straight to your second read on the Corner route.
