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Quick Reference
Not in any team playbook.
Breakdown
PA Pats Cross is a play-action pass out of Shotgun Y Off Trips Close that dresses up like an inside zone run before the quarterback boots out to sell the fake. Off the trips side, the deep receiver runs a corner route to the boundary while the shallow trips receiver clears out on a deep over that crosses the entire field, and the backside receiver runs a deep dig that sits down in the middle void behind the linebackers. The running back stays in to help protect on the play fake side, giving the quarterback a clean pocket to work the dig or crosser depending on how the defense flows. This is primarily a zone beater, since the deep dig settles into the intermediate zone window and the crosser stretches horizontal zones like Cover 3 or Cover 4, with the primary read progression going dig first, then crosser, then corner route on a full field flip.
Defensive Reads
Read the middle linebacker depth at the snap. If he bites hard on the run fake, the deep dig window opens up immediately for the quarterback. Watch for a user controlled defender sitting in the deep middle third, since that will take away both the dig and the crosser if he reads the play fake correctly. Cover 3 shells with a single high safety are vulnerable to the crosser dragging across the field, since the flat defender cannot carry it that far. Man coverage with no safety help over the top gets exposed by the corner route, since it stretches the boundary corner vertically after the run fake sucks up second level defenders. Watch for overload blitzes off the trips side, since the running back is the only extra protector and a nano blitz look can collapse the pocket before the dig comes open.
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs or second and medium when defenses are still respecting the run fake from Y Off Trips Close personnel.
Check the defensive front pre-snap. If you see two deep safeties and linebackers sitting tight to the box, the play action fake has a strong chance to hold the second level defenders for an extra beat.
Hot route the running back to release late if you see a slot blitz coming off the trips side, since the extra protection is more important than an added checkdown in man heavy fronts.
Pair this with Pats Y Out or Pats Drag Wheel in your play calling sequence so linebackers cannot sit on the deep dig read after seeing it once.
Take the corner route shot on third and long when defenses drop into deep zone shells expecting a checkdown off play action.
