Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
PA Read out of Shotgun Ace Offset uses play action to hold the linebackers before attacking all three levels of the defense. The outside receiver runs a vertical route up the sideline as a clear out, the inline TE releases on a deep out breaking toward the boundary, the slot man runs a quick out at the sticks, and the backside receiver runs a corner route off the play fake. The primary read progresses from the corner route as the initial deep shot, down to the deep out from the TE if the corner is capped, and finally to the underneath out as the checkdown against pressure or a hard closing safety.
Defensive Reads
Play man coverage across the board with a deep half safety shaded toward the corner route side to take away the primary vertical shot. Spy or shallow drop a linebacker into the underneath out zone to close the checkdown window and force the quarterback to hold the ball longer. Bring a nano blitz off the edge to disrupt the play action timing since the quarterback needs a clean pocket to read from the corner route down to the underneath out. Watch for a user controlled defender sitting in the flat or shallow zone, this lurk threat can jump the underneath out route and bait a bad read. Key on linebacker depth pre-snap, if they are sitting deep instead of crashing on the run fake it signals the defense is playing pass first and daring you to beat them over the top.
Usage Tips
Check the safety alignment before the snap, a single high safety with corners playing off suggests the corner route can win over the top against man coverage. Use the run fake to freeze linebackers against base 4-3 and 3-4 fronts, this is critical against defenses that are quick to fill the alley on inside zone looks from this same personnel package. Hot route the underneath out receiver into a drag if you see zone coverage sinking hard on the corner and deep out combo, giving you a fast underneath answer against Tampa 2 or Cover 3 sink concepts. Pair this play with Inside Zone and HB Punch from the same set to keep defenses honest on the play action fake before calling PA Read on second or third down. Use PA Read on early downs in normal distance situations when defenses are more willing to bite on the run action, and avoid it on clear passing downs where defenses sit back in zone.
