Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Dagger out of Bunch Str Offset stacks a deep vertical seam route from the bunch alignment with an over the middle dig that sits down behind the linebackers, while the outside receiver runs a shallow drag underneath to clear the zone and give the quarterback a checkdown option. The single receiver to the backside runs an inside release vertical to hold the deep half safety in that direction, and the offensive line picks up in standard drop back protection. This is primarily a zone beater built to attack Cover 2 and Cover 3, using the vertical seam to hold the safety while the dig settles into the window behind the second level, with the seam to dig as the primary read progression and the drag as the checkdown against a hard sink from the linebackers.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is in a two high shell or rolling to single high, since Dagger is designed to exploit the seam between the flat defender and the deep safety in both shells. Watch the linebacker depth at the snap, if they sink hard and deep to wall off the dig, the seam route becomes the primary answer since the safety will be occupied by the vertical threat. Key the flat defender or underneath zone defender responsible for the drag, if he widens too quickly to take away the checkdown he opens the throwing lane for the dig behind him. Beware of a Cover 2 shell with aggressive corners jumping the drag route, this can bait the quarterback into an easy pick six if the defense disguises a Tampa 2 look with the middle linebacker dropping into the deep middle. This concept struggles against a well timed blitz that collapses the pocket before the dig has time to develop, so watch for A gap pressure or a nano blitz look pre-snap that overloads the protection.
Usage Tips
Use this play on second and long or third and medium when you need a chunk play against zone heavy defenses.
Pre-snap, check for two deep safeties or a single high safety shading toward the bunch side, both shells are prime candidates for the dig to sit down in the honey hole.
If the defense shows Cover 3 with a deep half safety over the seam, key the corner route to work behind him and target the dig before the underneath zone linebacker can sink and wall it off.
Combine Dagger with Verts Dig from the same set so the defense cannot key on the seam and dig combo, forcing them to respect the full field vertical shell.
Pair this play with Mtn Stick or Slant Spacing to punish teams that start playing off coverage or sinking their linebackers deep after seeing Dagger hit once, since those quick game concepts attack the space Dagger vacates underneath.
Hot route the drag into a deeper crossing route if you anticipate man coverage since the natural pick from the bunch alignment creates easy separation against man beaters.
