Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn PA Slide is a play-action shot play out of Shotgun Bunch Wide that hides its intentions with a run fake before releasing three vertical routes and a slide flat concept. Both outside receivers from the bunch stem to the sideline and break upfield on deep clearing routes, while the inner bunch receiver runs a deep crosser that drags all the way across the middle of the field. The lone receiver on the backside runs a slide route working outside toward the flat, giving the quarterback a quick outlet if the play-action freezes the second level. Primary read progression starts with the deep crosser working from the strong side across the field, then works to the two vertical clear-outs on the numbers, and finally checks down to the slide route in the flat as a built-in zone beater against sunk safeties.
Defensive Reads
Watch the middle linebacker depth at the snap, since a shallow drop or a blitz key tells you the drag route will have a soft window to work into. Check the safety alignment before the snap, two deep safeties usually means the offense wants to hit the crosser underneath, one deep safety in the middle means the verticals up top are live. Man coverage on the bunch receivers is vulnerable to natural picks created by the stacked alignment, so if you are in user coverage be ready to fight through traffic on the deep crosser. Zone defenders who sink too far off the play-action fake open up easy access to the slide route in the flat, so keep a linebacker or nickel defender shallow to squat on that route. A well timed blitz off the edge can beat this play before the deep crosser fully develops, since the concept takes time to clear across the field, so disguise pressure and attack the quarterback's blind side.
Usage Tips
Run this out of a run-heavy personnel grouping so the play-action freeze actually holds linebackers and box safeties before the drag route crosses their face.
Use pre-snap motion or shifts to identify if the defense is playing man or zone, since the deep crosser is your money route against man coverage due to the natural pick from the bunch alignment.
If you see two deep safeties (Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells), hold the ball an extra beat and let the verticals from the outside bunch receivers clear out the corners before working back to the drag.
Pair this call with Mtn Inside Zone Split or Inside Zone earlier in a series so the play-action fake actually sells and linebackers start biting on run action.
Use the slide route to the flat as your answer versus a blitz look since it is the fastest developing route and gets the ball out before pressure arrives off the edge.
