Playbooks
Quick Reference
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Breakdown
PA Deep Cross out of Shotgun Split Offset shows a play-action shot play with two vertical clear-out routes on the outside and a deep crosser working the middle of the field from the receiver aligned near the core. The backside outlet runs a shallow drag/flat route along the line of scrimmage as a checkdown while the front side release also bends into a vertical stem to hold the safety. The blocking scheme sells run action to the offense's front before the quarterback rolls into his drop, making this a man beater against aggressive linebackers and single-high looks, with the deep cross as the clear first read and the shallow drag as the checkdown against a hard sell of the run fake.
Defensive Reads
Read the linebacker depth pre snap: linebackers sitting shallow or crashing hard on run fakes will get gashed by the deep cross running behind them Identify single high safety shells (Cover 1 or Cover 3) since the deep cross exploits the seam between the hash marks where only one deep defender has help Watch for a user controlled linebacker or safety sitting in a lurk technique in the middle of the field, since that defender can undercut the crosser if the quarterback throws without moving the safety first with his eyes Two high safety shells (Cover 2 or Cover 4) with disciplined linebackers who stay in their run fits and drop into their zones can shut this play down by taking away the crosser's driving lane Blitz packages that bring extra rushers up the middle will collapse the pocket before the deep cross has time to develop, so check for interior pressure pre snap and be ready to check into a quick game alternative
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs (1st and 10 or 2nd and short) when the defense is showing run support with linebackers stepping up, since the play action fake needs linebacker aggression to open the crosser
Check the safety alignment pre snap: single high shells with the free safety sitting in the middle of the field are the best matchup for the deep cross since one defender has to cover the entire width of the field
Hot route the backside shallow drag into a burst release or speed up the routes if you see press man corners jumping the outside verticals early
Pair this with Y Shallow Cross or Mesh earlier in a drive to condition linebackers to sit on short crossers, then hit this play action shot to hit the same crossing action but with double the depth for an explosive gain
Against Cover 3 or Cover 4 zone shells, user the deep crosser through the seams and throw with anticipation before the underneath zone defender can wall off the route
