Playbooks
PA Counter Slide is a play-action shot play out of Shotgun Wide Doubles Y Off WK that sells the counter run fake before releasing receivers on a slide protection concept designed to hold linebackers and attack vacated zones. The offensive line and backfield action mimic the Power G run from this same set, pulling defenders toward the fake before the quarterback resets to throw. This is primarily a zone beater, since the play action freezes underneath defenders and linebackers biting on the run fake open up soft spots for the slide routes. The primary read progression starts with the crossing or slide route working from the play-action side, then works to the backside vertical or comeback for the explosive shot if the safety commits to run support.
Identify the middle linebacker or nearest second level defender at the snap, if he steps up hard to fill the counter run lane, the underneath slide route will be wide open behind him. Watch the play side safety for run fits, a safety who triggers downhill on the fake leaves the deep half exposed for the backside shot route. This play struggles against disciplined zone defenses that keep their linebackers on a string and do not bite on run action, especially against a Tampa 2 shell that keeps the middle linebacker sitting deep. Against man coverage, look for a user controlled defender lurking near the slide route since a good user player can sit on that route once he reads run pass conflict correctly. Cover 3 with aggressive robber technique from the strong safety can jump the slide route quickly, so be ready to climb the pocket and reset eyes to the backside comeback or vertical if that read is covered.
Run this on early downs, ideally first or second and short to medium, when the defense is honoring the run and stacking the box against your ground game tendencies. Establish Power G a few times before calling this so linebackers start keying run action, then hit them with PA Counter Slide to punish that aggression. Check the safety alignment pre-snap, if you see two high safeties rotate down or a single high safety creeping toward the box, that is your green light to trust the fake and hold the ball an extra beat. Use hot routes to convert the underneath slide into a quick out or spot route against teams that play hard zone under coverage and sit on the crosser. Sequence this play with RPO Alert Counter and RPO Walk Alert Post from the same set so the defense cannot distinguish run action from pass intent, forcing linebackers into hesitation reads all game.