Playbooks
At a Glance
In 18 playbooks
Overview
Ace is the workhorse 12 personnel set inside Singleback, aligning both tight ends attached on opposite sides of the line with two wide receivers split out and a single back directly behind the quarterback. Unlike Singleback Wing or Bunch variants that cluster bodies to one side, Ace is balanced by design, which forces the defense to declare its strength honestly instead of overloading a passing strength. That symmetry is the whole point: the front looks like a run down every snap, so you get base personnel and single high shells far more often than you would out of 11 or 10 personnel sets.
Strengths
- Balanced two tight end alignment draws base personnel and single high looks, so Inside Zone, 26 Duo, HB Stretch, and Pin Pull Sweep all attack a defense that cannot substitute lighter bodies without giving up the edge.
- Massive play action library (PA Post Dig, PA Post Cross Shot, PA Flood, PA Boot, PA Ctr Waggle, PA Deep In, PA All Go, PA DBL Go) sells the same run gap the inside runs use, which pulls linebackers and single high safeties out of the deep middle.
- Both tight ends work as legitimate seam and intermediate threats. TE Seam Option, TE Option, TE Cross, TE Under, and Dual TE Flat isolate a slower linebacker or third safety on a tight end running through the hole in Cover 3 and Cover 4.
- Elite man beater package: Y Shallow Cross, Inside Cross, X Follow, Flanker Drive, and Ace TE Drag all generate natural rubs and crossers that break man coverage without needing hot routes.
- Gadget tagged plays (Jet Sweep, PA Jet Sweep, Zone Fake Jet, WR Screen, HB Slip Screen, HB Pump Draw) punish over aggressive users who commit a defender to the box or crash the edge every snap.
Weaknesses
- Single back with no fullback or motion man means interior pressure and nano blitzes get home fast. Five man protections leave the A gaps exposed and your only chip help is a tight end you likely want in the route.
- Two attached tight ends compress the field, so vertical concepts like PA All Go and PA DBL Go run into crowded deep zones unless you motion or hot route to create spacing.
- Opponents who read 12 personnel will keep base or big nickel on the field, which means better run fits and linebackers fast enough to carry your tight end vertical routes.
- Many concepts are two or three man reads with limited backside answers, so a user defender sitting on the primary crosser or curl kills the play before your check down develops.
- Play action plays hold the quarterback in place with no escape lane. Edge pressure or a blitz off the tight end side ends the rep immediately, especially on PA Post Cross Shot and PA Shot Post.
Usage Tips
Establish Inside Zone, 26 Duo, and HB Stretch on early downs first. The entire play action package (PA Post Dig, PA Boot, PA Ctr Waggle) only works after linebackers start crashing your run keys.
Against single high, attack the seams with TE Seam Option or Skinny Posts and read the safety leverage pre snap. Against two high, hit the intermediate zone beaters like PA Deep In, Curl Flats, and Z Spot underneath the split safeties.
Motion a tight end or hot route the slot to a drag when you see man coverage indicators (defenders shading inside, no safety rotation). Y Shallow Cross and Inside Cross already have built in rubs, so avoid over adjusting.
Keep your back in on protection against heavy blitz users, then use HB Slip Screen and WR Screen the next series to punish them for pinching the front.
On third and medium, Double Hitch, Quick Slants, and Flanker Curl give you fast reads against zone. Save Jet Sweep and PA Jet Sweep for short yardage or when the user overcommits a defender to the box.
