Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
HB Dive out of Singleback Wing Flex Close is a straight downhill run play designed to hit the A-gap in a hurry. The offensive line blocks a standard dive scheme, with the center and guards climbing to the second level while the two TEs on the strong side wing stay in to seal the edge, and the HB takes the handoff and reads the initial hole between the guards. This is a run play with no route combos or play-action element, and the primary read progression is simple: identify the first crease at the point of attack, and if it is not there, bounce off the initial double team and find the cutback lane.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check linebacker depth. Linebackers crashing downhill before the snap signal a run blitz that can blow up the dive in the backfield. Watch the defensive tackle alignment. A shaded nose tackle or 3-technique sitting in the A-gap or B-gap pre-snap will clog the primary running lane and force an early cutback read. If the defense shows a heavy box with safeties creeping into the alley, this dive concept gets shut down quickly, so respect the numbers and consider a pass check instead. Post-snap, user the middle linebacker to fill the A-gap immediately since AI defenders often overpursue on dive fakes, leaving the user defender as the last line to stop the hole shot. Look for defenses that spin a single high safety into a two-deep shell after the snap, since that usually means the linebackers are reading run first and will flow hard to the mesh point.
Usage Tips
Call HB Dive on early downs when you want to stay ahead of the chains and keep the defense honest before setting up play-action shots later in the drive.
Check the box count pre-snap. If the defense has six or more defenders stacked inside the tackles, this play will not have room to work, so audible to HB Toss Weak or HB Stretch instead.
Use manual acceleration with the HB to burst through the initial crease as soon as the guards get their double team started, since dive plays live and die on timing at the mesh point.
Pair this play with PA Cross Switch or Mtn PA Boot Cross Y-Corner later in a series once you have shown Dive a few times, since the run action sells the play-action fake and freezes linebackers.
Against aggressive gap-shooting defensive tackles, consider using this as a change-up to HB Zone Wk so the defense cannot key exclusively on the A-gap attack.
