Playbooks

Dagger Texas

Shotgun·Trips TE·11

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 2 playbooks

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Breakdown

Dagger Texas is a man beater built out of Shotgun Trips TE that combines a Texas route (RB releasing to the flat or seam) with the classic Dagger combo from the trips side, a deep dig sitting behind a clearout seam route. The trips receivers stack vertical stems to occupy the deep coverage while the dig settles into the void underneath, and the Texas route from the backfield gives you a built in checkdown against blitz looks. Primary read progression starts with the seam clearout to see how the safety reacts, then works to the deep dig running through the middle of the field, and finally checks down to the Texas route out of the backfield if the underneath defenders sink too fast.

Defensive Reads

Watch the safety over the trips side at the snap, if he bites on the clearout seam or gets picked, the window for the deep dig opens up immediately. Key the middle linebacker or any user controlled defender sitting in the intermediate zone, a lurking defender in that area can jump the dig route and turn it into a pick six. Check corner alignment before the snap, tight man press corners on the trips receivers signal man coverage and tell you the dig is live, while soft zone alignment means the underneath defenders will sink and take away that throw. Against blitz heavy calls, the Texas route out of the backfield becomes your answer since the RB releases quickly and blitzers vacate the shallow area. This play struggles against disciplined Cover 4 or Cover 6 shells with strong safety help over the dig route, so avoid forcing that throw if the safety stays deep and centered post snap.

Usage Tips

Use this on second and long or third and medium situations where you need a chunk play but still want a safety valve if the defense brings pressure.

Pre-snap, identify single high versus two high shells because the dig sits right in the throwing window that opens up against single high looks like Cover 1 or Cover 3.

If you see man coverage with no deep help over the trips side, trust the dig throw and let your receiver work across the field, this is a legit man beater against Cover 1 and Cover 3 match.

Against zone heavy defenses or Cover 4, hot route the Texas back into a flat or option route to give yourself a faster underneath outlet since the dig can get taken away by a sinking linebacker.

Pair this with Texas or Curl Flat from the same set to keep defenders guessing on the trips side, since the initial reads look similar pre-snap but attack different levels of the field.

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