Playbooks
PA Post Shot Choice is a play-action shot play out of Shotgun Doubles Stack Clamp designed to attack the deep middle and boundary with a post and a choice route working together. The play-action fake holds linebackers and safeties for a beat, opening a throwing lane for the post to split the safeties while the choice route gives you a sight-adjust option based on the leverage of the defender covering it. This is primarily a man beater against single high shells, with the primary read progression starting on the post to see if you get a one on one deep shot, then working down to the choice route as your adjustable second read if the post is capped.
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense shows one high or two high safeties, single high alignment is the green light for the post shot read. Watch cornerback press alignment on the stack side, soft press or off coverage tells you the choice route will have room to work underneath if the post is not there. Post snap, key the middle linebacker's drop, if he sinks deep into the post window immediately you likely have zone coverage and should quickly progress to the choice route. Look for a user controlled safety rotating late to double the post, this is the biggest tell that the play is defended and you need to bail to the choice route or check down. Cover 3 with a deep sinking free safety and disciplined linebackers can shut this down, so avoid throwing into the post window if you see a clean cover 3 rotation with no natural post-snap movement.
Check the safety alignment before the snap, if you see one high safety in the middle of the field this play is live for the post shot immediately at the snap.
Use the play fake to freeze linebackers on early down and distance situations like first and ten or second and short, since defenders are more likely to bite on run action.
Hot route the choice route runner to sit down against zone coverage or continue pushing vertically against man coverage, this turns the play into a true zone and man beater depending on the read.
Pair this play with Mtn Rub Smash or Curl Ohio in the same set to keep the defense guessing between shot plays and quick game concepts out of the same personnel and formation look.
Avoid calling this on third and long against two high shells unless you have confirmed single high rotation post snap, since the post window closes fast against split safeties.