Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 13 playbooks
Breakdown
PA Rams Leak is a play-action shot play out of Singleback Tight Y Off (11 personnel) that hits off run action to freeze the linebackers. The diagram shows the Y (TE) leaking across the formation on the leak route (red), climbing from the backfield area up and over the middle before breaking vertically up the seam, while the outside receiver runs a deep post crosser (yellow) that clears out over the top and a second yellow route sits down and works back to the flat/corner as an underneath drag. The blue route from the backfield or slot runs a flat/out route to the sideline as the checkdown. The primary read progression starts with the leak route (Y) working across the field for the play-action deep shot, then works to the deep post breaking away, and comes down to the flat/drag as the outlet against a hard blitz.
Defensive Reads
Read the Y leak route first since it is the primary target and threatens the middle of the field the moment linebackers commit to the run fake. Watch for Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells with deep safeties sitting in the middle since they can rob the leak route if the user stays disciplined and does not bite on the fake. Man coverage with no safety help over the top gets exposed by the deep post crosser clearing space, so identify press man alignment on the outside cornerback pre-snap. Blitz-heavy calls like a nano blitz will speed up your progression, so key the depth of the linebackers pre-snap and expect the flat/drag route as the answer against extra rushers. Zone defenses that sit their linebackers at the second level shut down the underneath flat route, so if you see hook zone defenders sitting at 5 to 7 yards, look immediately to the leak route or post for the explosive play.
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs (1st and 10 or 2nd and short) when defenses expect run so the play-action freeze has maximum impact on linebackers.
Check for single high safety pre-snap since the deep post and leak route stress the middle of the field hardest against a one-high shell.
Motion into the flat or hot route the checkdown receiver to the boundary if you see Cover 0 or heavy man pressure to give yourself a quick answer against blitzes.
Pair this with HB Dive or HB Stretch Wk earlier in a sequence so the defense keys run action and bites on the play fake, opening the leak route for a big gain.
User the safety to the post side after the snap since AI safeties will often overreact to the play-action and vacate the deep middle for the leak crosser.
