Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Empty Mtn Dagger is a five-wide dagger concept out of the Shotgun Spread Y-Flex empty set, with no running back in the backfield to help protect. The outside receiver to the boundary runs a deep dig that sits underneath the post/seam from the inside slot, while the two receivers to the field run a clear-out post and a shallow drag crossing underneath, and the far outside receiver runs a comeback/curl to hold the corner. The primary read progression starts with the dig coming across the middle against zone, working through the deep clearing route if the safety bites underneath, then checking down to the shallow drag as a man beater against blitz or trailing coverage.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check the free safety depth and leverage, a single high safety shaded to the field side signals Cover 3 or Cover 1 and tells you the dig has room to work in the middle void. Watch the cornerback over the motion man, if he chases across the formation before the snap it confirms man coverage and you should key the drag and comeback for quick separation. Post-snap, track the middle linebacker or the deep zone defender dropping into the dig window, a squatting linebacker underneath the dig can jump the route and bait a turnover. Identify user-controlled lurk defenders sitting in the shallow middle, since they threaten both the dig and the drag if the user reads the quarterback's eyes early. This concept struggles against a hard Cover 4 shell with press corners, since the clearing post gets bracketed and the dig has less room to sit down against four defenders spaced evenly across the deep field.
Usage Tips
Motion the receiver pre-snap to identify man versus zone before the snap, since a defender following the motion man confirms man coverage and opens up the dig and drag as your primary options.
Against Cover 3 or Cover 2, trust the dig route to sit down in the void behind the linebackers and in front of the deep safeties, this is the true zone beater in the concept.
If the user drops a safety deep into the middle of the field, look immediately to the shallow drag or the comeback route on the boundary for a quick, low risk completion.
Use this play on second and medium to second and long situations where you have time to let the dig develop, since the deep post takes time to clear out the top of the coverage.
Pair this call with Mtn HB Cross Screen or RPO Peek Slant from the same set to keep the defense off balance between the vertical shot and quick game answers out of the same empty look.
