Playbooks

Switch Dig

Shotgun·Tight Slots·11

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 2 playbooks

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Breakdown

Switch Dig out of Shotgun Tight Slots 11 personnel is a man beater built around a switch release concept on one side that crosses two receivers at the snap to confuse man defenders, paired with a deep dig route working from the opposite side of the field. The switch releases create natural rubs that shake off press man coverage, while the dig sits down in the intermediate middle of the field as the primary answer against single high looks. Blocking is standard shotgun pass protection with the back available for a check release outlet. Your primary read progression starts with the switch release on the pre snap side of your choosing, then works to the dig if the underneath defenders jump the switch or if you see a single high safety rotate late.

Defensive Reads

Watch for corners aligned in press or tight man technique pre snap, this is your green light to trust the switch release winning early Key the middle linebacker depth at the snap, if he sinks deep into a zone drop instead of stepping up he is likely reading the dig route and you should look to bait him with a pump before resetting to the crosser Beware of Cover 3 sky or Cover 4 shells with safeties rotated over the top, these zone drops can clog the dig route window and force you to check down to the back User controlled linebackers sitting in a lurk position in the middle of the field are the biggest threat to this concept since they can jump the dig route if you telegraph it Blitz heavy sub packages with a robber safety underneath will undercut the dig, in that case reset to the switch release side quickly before the pocket collapses

Usage Tips

Identify man coverage pre snap by checking corner alignment, if corners are lined up tight and inside leverage this play is money because the switch release naturally beats man technique

Use the switch release as your first read against Cover 1 and Cover 3 man variants, then progress to the dig route if the underneath zone defenders sink and take away the crossers

Hot route the running back into a check release against known blitz heavy teams to buy the quarterback extra time for the dig to develop

This play pairs well with Mesh Switch and Drive Switch from the same set, run those first to condition the defense to jump switch releases, then hit Switch Dig later in the sequence when they overplay it

Best called on second and medium to second and long situations where the defense is more likely to sit in man coverage and where the dig route has room to work between the numbers

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