Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Drag Under is a five man route concept out of Shotgun Doubles 11 personnel that stretches the field horizontally and vertically at the same time. The three receivers to the field side run a switch release into a deep out, a corner route and a deep vertical, while the tight end runs a drag underneath the linebackers from the boundary side and the running back releases to the flat off play fake protection. The primary read is the drag: work the underneath crosser first as your hot man beater, then climb the progression to the flat and finally the deep out or corner if the middle of the field is clogged.
Defensive Reads
Key the middle linebacker depth at the snap, since a shallow drop signals he is spying the drag route and will undercut the throw. Watch for Cover 3 sink corners, this concept struggles against a hard flat defender who squats on the drag and running back combo. Identify man coverage by checking if the slot defender turns and runs with the drag route across the formation, that confirms man and tells you to rip the crosser hard away from leverage. Look for a user controlled lurk defender sitting in the shallow zone, this is the most common way competitive opponents shut down the drag read. Against Cover 2, the corner route and deep out combo on the field side stresses the flat defender and safety, so if the underneath drag is covered, progress your eyes outside immediately.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion with the running back or a receiver to identify man versus zone before the snap, since the drag route is a bang bang answer against man coverage.
If the defense shows two high safeties, expect off coverage underneath and take the drag immediately for a quick easy completion versus soft zone.
Hot route the flat running back to a swing or check release if you see a delayed blitz look, since this protects the quarterback against overload pressure off the edge.
Pair this play with 45 Quick Base or Curl Flats in your call sheet to keep the defense honest on shallow crossers before dialing up Y Cross or Four Verticals to hit the same formation deep.
Best used on second and medium to third and short since the drag and flat combo consistently picks up seven to nine yards after the catch against zone coverage.
