Playbooks

Drag Under

Shotgun·Doubles Offset·11
DragPass Play
Play diagram for Drag Under from Shotgun Doubles Offset in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 2 playbooks

Balanced Pass OffenseOffenseFranchise Offense BackerattackerOffense

Breakdown

Drag Under is a five man route concept out of Shotgun Doubles Offset that stacks a shallow drag underneath two deep vertical stems on the backside while the offset receiver runs a flat route out of the backfield area and the frontside X releases on a deep out and up. The three man side to the right shows the tight end (or slot) crossing on the drag underneath, with two receivers stacking vertical releases that clear space for the drag to work laterally across the field. This is a man beater at its core, using the drag to create natural rub traffic against man defenders while the flat route and deep routes stretch zone defenders vertically and horizontally, making it a solid answer against both man and zone if you read it correctly. The primary read progression starts with the drag crossing the field, then works to the flat route underneath if the drag is taken away, and finally looks to the vertical shots on the outside if the defense sells out to stop the short and intermediate routes.

Defensive Reads

Watch the middle linebacker depth pre-snap, since a shallow drop signals he may be spying the drag route and taking away your first read immediately. Identify single high safety looks (Cover 1 or Cover 3) which tell you the drag route will have a running lane underneath the deep coverage shell before the safety can rotate over. Post-snap, key on any user controlled defender flowing toward the drag route, since a lurking linebacker or safety jumping the crossing route usually means the flat or vertical routes are open behind him. Against Cover 2 or Cover 4 with two deep safeties, expect underneath zone defenders to sit on the drag, so progress quickly to the flat route or the vertical stems on the outside. Blitz heavy defenses that bring extra pressure off the edge tend to leave the drag route wide open in the vacated underneath zone, so throw with anticipation before the pocket collapses.

Usage Tips

Use pre-snap motion or a hard count to identify if the defense is showing man or zone before the snap, since the drag route timing changes based on how much of a rub you get against man coverage.

If you see Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells with deep zone drops, hit the drag route in stride as it crosses the field before the underneath zone defenders can sink and wall it off.

Against man coverage, trust the natural pick action from the stacked vertical releases and throw the drag on time, letting the receiver run through the traffic for extra yards after the catch.

This play pairs well with Double Slants or Mesh Spot in the same set, since both create quick underneath answers that punish defenses trying to jump the drag route with linebackers.

Use this on second and medium or third and short situations where the drag route distance matches the sticks, and consider audibling to RPO Alert Bus if you see the defense stacking the box pre-snap.

Other Plays in Doubles Offset