Playbooks
PA Deep Read is a play-action shot play out of Singleback Deuce Close Tilt designed to attack single high safety looks and aggressive zone drops. The play action fake to the HB freezes the linebackers, opening up a deep route on the backside while underneath crossers and a flat route give a quick outlet if the deep shot is not there. This is primarily a man beater against Cover 1 and Cover 3, but it also punishes zone defenses that bite hard on the run fake, and the primary read progression starts with the deep route, works to the intermediate crosser, then checks down to the flat or HB leak if the pocket collapses.
Check the free safety depth pre-snap, a single high safety cheating up into the box signals man coverage and a green light for the deep route Watch for corners playing tight press alignment, that usually means Cover 1 or Cover 0 and confirms the deep shot will win versus trail technique If the linebackers stay square and do not bite on the play fake, expect zone coverage and you should work the crosser into the soft spot instead of forcing the deep ball User controlled defenders sitting in the deep middle or lurking the crosser are the biggest threat, if you see a defender flash down from a deep half shell, check down immediately to the flat or HB leak Blitz packages with a delayed linebacker or safety creeper can wreck the protection, if the fake does not slow the rush read the hot route protection quickly and get the ball out before the pocket folds
Look for single high safety alignment pre-snap since that is your green light to push the deep shot immediately off the play fake
Use motion or a hard count to bait linebackers into stepping up on the run fake before the snap so their zone drops get late and sloppy
Hot route the underneath crosser into a deeper in-cut if you see Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells to sit in the void between the corner and safety
This play hits hardest on second and medium to second and long when defenses are still respecting the run and playing base personnel
Pair PA Deep Read with HB Dive and Mtn HB Misdirection Lt earlier in a series so the defense keys run action and sells out on the fake
Sequence this behind Mtn Zone Toss or HB Zone Wk to condition linebackers to crash downhill, then punish that tendency with the deep shot