Playbooks
Cheat Post Dagger Wheel
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Cheat Post Dagger Wheel is a five man route concept out of Shotgun Wing Slot Offset that stacks a Dagger combo on one side with a wheel route breaking outside to attack the flat and sideline. The inside receiver runs a deep post through the middle of the field while the tight end underneath sits on a dig to clear the intermediate zone, and the running back releases into a wheel route from the backfield, working around the flat defender before turning up the sideline. On the other side, the flanker runs an outside breaking route to the boundary, giving the quarterback a horizontal stretch option. This is a pass-heavy man and zone beater. The primary read starts with the post shot down the middle if the safety bites on the dig or wheel, then progresses to the dig underneath, and finally to the wheel route as a late developing outlet against blown coverage or a slow linebacker in man.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify single high versus two high safety alignment, since the post route wants a two high shell where the safeties are split wide enough to open the seam. Watch the flat defender or curl to flat linebacker at the snap, because if he widens with the running back's wheel release, the underneath dig route will have room to settle. In man coverage, key the linebacker assigned to the running back out of the backfield, since a slower linebacker in man will get picked off by the wheel route once it turns upfield. Zone defenses that stay disciplined in their drops and keep a defender over the dig while rotating a safety over the post shut this play down quickly, so watch for a cloud corner or robber safety sitting in that intermediate window. Post-snap, user the deep half safety toward the post if you are on defense, since that route is the first progression and jumping it forces the quarterback to work through his checkdowns.
Usage Tips
Use this play on early downs or third and medium when you want to test a defense that is selling out on the dagger combo underneath, since the wheel route is designed to punish defenders who peek inside.
Check the flat defender before the snap because if he is sitting on the running back's release, hot route the flanker into a quick out to give yourself a faster underneath answer.
Pair this call with PA Cheat Dagger or Cheat HB Jailbreak Screen earlier in the drive so the defense starts keying on the dagger combo, then hit them with the wheel route counter when they jump the dig or post.
Against Cover 2, target the post route between the safeties before they can rotate over, since the post attacks the seam before the safety can get over the top.
Against Cover 3, work the dagger combo since the underneath dig can settle in the hole vacated by the flat defender, and the wheel becomes a big play answer if the cornerback bites on the post.
