Playbooks

FL Dig

Shotgun·Trips·10
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This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 1 playbook

Spread Classic

Breakdown

FL Dig is a Shotgun Trips concept out of 10 personnel built around the flanker (FL) breaking hard across the middle on a dig route at roughly 12 to 15 yards. The trips side works underneath to occupy zone defenders and clear space for the dig, while the backside receiver runs a complementary vertical or comeback to hold the safety and cornerback on that side. This is primarily a zone beater since the dig sits down in the soft spot between the hook zones and the deep coverage, but it also works against man coverage if you get a natural pick or rub from the trips traffic. The primary read progression starts with the FL dig against zone drops, then works to the backside route if the middle linebacker sinks deep enough to wall off the throwing lane.

Defensive Reads

Watch the middle linebacker depth at the snap, since a fast drop into the hook zone can bait the quarterback into thinking the window is closing. Identify Cover 3 pre-snap by the single high safety and rolled corners, this is the shell most vulnerable to the dig sitting in the soft spot beyond the underneath zone but in front of the deep third. Recognize Cover 2 or Cover 4 with two safeties deep, since the extra defender in the middle of the field can sink and take away the dig window entirely, forcing a check to the backside route. Key the slot defenders and any user controlled lurk threat sitting in the throwing lane, as a smart user can jump the route if the quarterback stares it down too long. Look for blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge or through the A gap, since that forces a quicker read and often opens the dig even faster if the linebackers vacate to blitz.

Usage Tips

Check the middle of the field pre-snap for a single high safety, since that tells you the dig will have room to sit down between the hashes.

If the defense shows two high safeties, be ready to hot route the dig deeper or convert it to a hook since Cover 2 and Cover 4 shells will have a linebacker sitting right in that window.

Use the trips bunch to your advantage by manually motioning or hot routing the underneath trips receivers into shallow crosses to clear out zone defenders and open the throwing lane for the dig.

This play shines on second and medium to second and long, giving the quarterback time to let the dig develop and giving you a big enough throwing window to fit the ball in before linebackers flow.

Pair FL Dig with Stick or Slant Spacing from the same set to keep the defense honest against quick underneath zone drops, then hit them with the dig once they start jumping the short routes.

Against man coverage, combine this with Four Verticals in your play-calling sequence so defenses cannot sit on the dig concept without getting burned deep.

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