Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
PA Deep Cross Go from Singleback Bunch X Nasty is a play-action shot play built off a run fake to hold the linebackers before attacking downfield. Off the play fake, the outside receiver from the bunch runs a vertical go route up the numbers while the deep crosser works from the opposite boundary all the way across the field on a flat angle behind the second level, and a third receiver settles into a short out breaking away from the formation underneath. The lone remaining receiver runs a shallow drag away from the play side to hold underneath defenders, giving the quarterback a three level stretch: go route deep outside, deep cross working across the middle, and the flat out short. This is a man beater first because the deep cross creates natural separation against man leverage as it travels across the field, but it can also exploit zone defenses that get sucked up on the run fake and leave the intermediate middle open. The primary read progression starts with the go route on a bluff or missed run fill, then moves to the deep cross as the first read, then works down to the shallow drag or flat out if the cross is taken away.
Defensive Reads
Key the play side linebacker at the snap, if he bites hard on the run fake and opens his hips downfield the deep cross window is wide open. Watch the free safety depth pre-snap, a deep single high safety can be a problem for the go route but leaves the underneath crossing lane vulnerable. If the defense shows Cover 2 or Cover 4 with two deep safeties, the go route is likely capped, so key the flat defender and shallow drag as the quicker answers. Sit a user linebacker in the middle hook zone to lurk the deep cross, since this route has to travel the width of the field and can be jumped by a disciplined user defender who reads the quarterback's eyes. Bring pressure with a nano blitz timed to the play fake, since the quarterback has to hold the ball through the run fake animation and is vulnerable before he resets his drop.
Usage Tips
Sell the run fake by holding the play-action animation and looking off safeties before working through the progression, since a lazy fake gets jumped by disciplined linebackers.
Use this against single high shells like Cover 1 or Cover 3 where the deep cross has room to work across the field before the free safety can rotate over.
If you see man coverage pre-snap with the corner pressed on the bunch side, prioritize the deep cross since the crosser generates natural leverage against trailing defenders.
Hot route the shallow drag into a quick out or spot route on third and short to give yourself a faster underneath answer if the safety sits deep.
Pair this call with PA Post Dig or Verticals earlier in a series so the defense respects the vertical shots, then come back to PA Deep Cross Go once linebackers start cheating up on run action.
