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Quick Reference
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Breakdown
PA Zone Shot out of Singleback Y Trips is a play-action shot play built off zone run action to hold linebackers and safeties before attacking downfield. The trips side runs a vertical stem designed to stress the deep zones, while the backside typically offers a comeback or dig as an outlet against man coverage. This is a zone beater first, with the primary read starting on the deep safety over the trips side before working back to the boundary route if the shot is covered.
Defensive Reads
Read the deep safety first: if he stays flat footed on the run fake, the trips side shot route should come open behind the second level. Cover 3 with a single high safety is the ideal shot for this concept since the deep third defender has to respect the run fake and the seam alley opens up. Cover 2 shells with two deep safeties can squeeze the shot route, so be ready to check down to the backside comeback if both safeties stay high and split the field. Watch for user-controlled safeties baiting the play action by staying home instead of stepping up, which is the biggest counter to this play and will result in an interception if you force the deep shot. Man coverage looks with a nickel or dime package can be exploited if the linebackers bite on the run fake, since that creates natural separation on the vertical route before the safety can rotate over.
Usage Tips
Run this on early downs like first and ten or second and short so the run fake actually holds the front seven and safeties.
Check the safety alignment pre-snap: if you see two high safeties rotate down or a single high safety cheat to the trips side, that tells you the shot route is live.
Use play-action fake correctly by letting the run action fully sell before dropping to pass, since defenders keying the backfield will bite on the zone action.
Pair this with Inside Zone and HB Zone Wk Alert Bubble earlier in a series so the defense starts respecting the run fake, then hit them with PA Zone Shot once linebackers start crashing downhill.
Hot route the backside receiver into a deeper comeback or corner route against man coverage if you diagnose Cover 1 or Cover 3 with press corners pre-snap.
Avoid calling this against heavy blitz packages unless you have a quick game outlet, since the shot route takes time to develop and the play action drop adds extra clock.
