Playbooks

PA Middle

Singleback·Wing·12
Play ActionPass Play
Likely unavailable in the playbook builder
This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Quick Reference

FormationSingleback
SetWing

In 1 playbook

Legends OffenseOffense

Breakdown

PA Middle out of Singleback Wing 12 personnel sells the play action fake to the HB before attacking the middle of the field with a vertical route combo designed to stress the deep middle and hook zones. The fullback or in line TE from the wing typically works a shorter crossing or flat route to hold linebackers while your inside receivers push seams and posts to collapse the safety over the top. This is a play-action shot play built to punish teams selling out on run fits or sitting in single high, with the primary read starting on the deep middle route and working down to the intermediate crosser if the safety jumps the top.

Defensive Reads

Identify single high safety pre-snap, this is the shell PA Middle is designed to attack since the post or seam route can split the safety and win over the top. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if they bite hard on the HB fake and flow toward the line of scrimmage, your middle route will have a clean throwing lane. Beware two high safety shells like Cover 2 or Cover 4, these shells shut down the deep middle shot and force you to check down to the underneath crosser or flat route. Key any user controlled defender sitting in a lurk spot in the middle of the field, a smart user can rob the deep middle throw, so have your check down route ready. Look for delayed blitz or contain pressure off the edge, since play action rollouts and hard counters can be exposed if pass protection cannot hold up against a fast blitz timing.

Usage Tips

Run this on early downs like 1st and 10 or 2nd and short when the defense is showing run blitz or crashing linebackers to respect the HB fake.

Check the safety alignment before the snap, if you see one high with the free safety sitting in the deep middle, be ready to hold your throw and let the seam or post clear him out.

Use the play action fake fully, do not rush the throw, let the pump animation bait linebackers out of their drops before climbing the pocket.

Hot route the shallow crosser into a deeper option if you see zone defenders sitting short, this gives you a man beater conversion against off man or bracket coverage.

Sequence this behind HB Dive or HB Blunt Dive earlier in the drive so the defense respects the run action, then call PA Middle to hit the safety who is cheating up in run support.

Other Plays in Wing