Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
PA Clear Cross runs out of Shotgun Tight 11 personnel with a play-action fake to hold the linebackers before the QB works the crossing concept. Both outside receivers clear vertically up the numbers to occupy the deep coverage, while the two inside routes cross underneath: one runs a deep crosser through the middle of the field off the opposite hash, and the near receiver breaks outside on a short out route as the first read off the play-action boot. The RB stays in to help sell the run fake before checking the backside. This is a play-action zone beater built to attack linebackers who bite on the run fake, with the primary progression going from the boot side flat route to the deep crosser sitting behind the underdrops.
Defensive Reads
Play action zone beater. If a linebacker steps up hard on the run fake, the middle of the field opens for the deep crosser almost immediately. Watch the flat defender post-snap. If he sinks with the deep crosser instead of jumping the shorter out route, take the easy completion underneath. Cover 3 with aggressive underneath drops is the toughest shell against this because the crosser has to thread through multiple zone defenders sitting at the same depth. Man coverage with no safety help over the top gets exposed by the clearing vertical routes, which pull the corners deep and open running room for the cross. User the middle linebacker or a rover defender to sit on the crossing route since AI defenders will often bite the play-action and lose the crosser in traffic.
Usage Tips
Run this on early downs (1st and 10 or 2nd and short) when you have already established the run game so the linebackers respect the fake and vacate their zone drops.
Check the safety alignment pre-snap. Two deep safeties who stay home make the clearing routes valuable decoys, but a single high safety rotation means the deep crosser has more room to work behind him.
Use the flat route as your dump-off answer against a hard blitz since the boot action naturally rolls the QB away from backside pressure.
Pair this call with Tight Crosses or Mesh Spot earlier in a series so the defense starts keying crossing traffic, then hit them with the vertical clears here to keep them honest.
Hot route the RB into a check release or a quick flat if you diagnose Cover 0 or man pressure pre-snap, since he is not a featured target in the base concept.
