Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Dagger PoCo out of Shotgun Trips Y-Flex sends the backside X on a post corner up the numbers while the trips side stacks a deep dig with an underneath spot route from the slot and a flat/drag from the boundary receiver. The post corner and dig create the classic dagger vertical stretch on one side while the post corner route on the isolated X threatens the opposite deep third. Primary read progression starts with the post corner against single coverage, then works back to the dig sitting down behind linebackers, with the flat and spot routes serving as checkdowns against a hard sink from underneath defenders.
Defensive Reads
Read the deep safeties before the snap, a single high safety tells you Cover 1 or Cover 3 is live and the post corner has a favorable one on one matchup. Two deep safeties signal Cover 2 or Cover 4, which means you should shift focus to the dig route sitting in the intermediate window. Watch the flat defender post snap, if he sinks too deep chasing the dig, the flat route becomes an easy underneath completion. User controlled lurk defenders sitting in the shallow middle can jump the dig, so double check the drag and spot route depth before committing to that throw. Man coverage across the board with no safety help over the top of the post corner is the biggest tell that this play is about to hit for a big chunk gain.
Usage Tips
Check pre-snap for single high safety looks before locking onto the post corner route, since that route wins big against Cover 1 and Cover 3 when the corner has no deep help. Against Cover 2, work the dig on the trips side since it settles in the soft spot between the flat defender and the deep half safety. Use motion or a hot route on the flat route to widen a linebacker if you see a nano blitz look creeping toward the boundary. Pair this play with Four Verticals and Go DBL Post from the same set so defenses cannot sit on the post corner tendency without opening up seam shots. Best called on second and medium to second and long where defenses respect the run and give you a clean vertical passing platform.
