Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 12 playbooks
Breakdown
Dagger out of Shotgun Trips TE Flex sends the outermost trips receiver on a deep vertical to clear out the top of the defense while the middle trips receiver runs the signature dagger route, a deep in that sits down behind linebackers and in front of safeties. The inside slot man works a shallow drag underneath crossing the field, and the flexed TE releases outside then breaks back across the field on a shorter in route, giving the quarterback a layered read from deep to short. This is a classic Cover 2 and Cover 3 beater built on vertical spacing, with the primary read progression starting on the dagger in route, then the drag underneath, and finally the deep vertical if the safety bites on the shorter routes.
Defensive Reads
Read the deep safeties before the snap, if they are showing two high shells expect the dagger in route to be the primary target since it settles in the Cover 2 hole. If the defense shows single high or rotates post snap into Cover 3, key the flat and curl defenders since they can undercut the drag or in route if they sit rather than react to the vertical. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, shallow drops signal man coverage or a blitz look, which opens the drag route against man beaters since the flexed TE and slot receiver create natural picks. User controlled defenders lurking in the middle of the field are the biggest threat to this concept, since a rangy user safety or linebacker can jump the dagger route if the quarterback stares it down too long. Man coverage with no safety help over the top gets exposed by the deep vertical, so if corners are pressed at the line with no deep safety rotation, take the shot downfield instead of settling for the shorter routes.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the safeties are showing two high or rotating to a single high shell, since Dagger is designed to exploit the soft spot behind linebackers in both Cover 2 and Cover 3. If you see Cover 2, prioritize the dagger in route since it sits right in the honey hole between the corner and safety. Against Cover 3, watch for a sinking flat defender or curl to flat player and be ready to check down to the drag if the underneath zone squeezes the in route. Use the vertical from the outside trips receiver to hold the deep safety, which opens throwing lanes for both the dagger and drag routes if the defense over rotates. Pair this play with Stick or TE In from the same set on the following snap to keep defenders guessing between quick underneath throws and the deeper dagger shot, and use Verticals as a change up if the defense starts jumping the drag route.
