Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
PA Mtn Slide is a play-action pass out of Shotgun Slot Right with 11 personnel that uses a mountain (slide) protection concept to sell the run fake before releasing three verticals into the route tree. The diagram shows the outside receiver running a deep corner route, the slot receiver climbing straight up the seam, and the backside X breaking outside and up on a bench route after an inside stem, while the offensive line and back execute a slide protection to hold the edge on the play-action. This is a man beater built to attack off man leverage with the corner route working outside shoulders and the seam and bench routes creating natural picks, and the primary read progression starts with the seam route as the first hot read against man before working to the corner route on the outside and the bench route as the late-developing option against soft coverage.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify single high shells like Cover 1 or Cover 3 since this concept is designed to overload one deep defender with two vertical stems on the same side. Watch the cornerback alignment on the outside receiver, if he is in hard press man expect the corner route to win late so keep working progressions instead of forcing it early. Post-snap, key the play-side linebacker's reaction to the run fake, if he bites hard on the play action the seam route will be wide open underneath the safety. Look for a user-controlled safety rotating late to double the seam, that is the tell for Cover 3 or a two-high shell sliding over to help, which should push your eyes to the bench route. This play struggles against disciplined zone drops with a deep half safety staying home, since that defender can sit in the passing lane between the corner and seam routes.
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs like first or second and medium to keep run-pass balance believable off your inside zone and HB Iso calls from the same set.
Check pre-snap for single high safety looks since the corner and seam combo stresses one deep defender trying to cover both vertical threats.
If you see man coverage press at the line, lean on the seam route first since it wins quickly against man leverage before the corner route has time to develop.
Pair this with RPO Alert Glance or RPO Alert Bubble earlier in a series so linebackers start cheating up on run action, opening the play-action window here.
Against teams that jump the seam consistently, hot route the slot receiver into a shallow drag to hold the underneath defenders and buy time for the corner route to break open.
