Playbooks
Fake Fg Y Shovel is a trick play out of the Special field goal formation designed to catch a defense selling out to block the kick. Instead of the snap going to the holder for a kick attempt, the play executes a quick shovel pass to the Y (tight end or up back) who sneaks through the interior of the defense while the offensive line shows kick protection then pivots to create a running lane. This is not a man or zone beater in the conventional sense since it exploits personnel and alignment rather than coverage, and the primary read is simply the shovel target: if the interior gap opens and the defense is crashing the edges to block the kick, the holder gets the ball to the Y immediately and lets him run downhill.
Watch the defensive line pre-snap for a heavy interior push alignment, which signals the defense is selling out on the block and leaving the shovel lane wide open If the defense keeps two deep safeties back in a standard field goal safe look, the shovel has less room since those defenders can rally downhill quickly Key on the linebacker or jumper depth at the line, if they are lined up shallow and crashing hard off the snap the Y shovel target will have a clean release Post-snap, track whether any defender stays home to spy the interior gap instead of rushing, since a disciplined defense that keeps a lurk defender in the middle shuts this fake down immediately If the opponent has been burned by fakes before, they will often show a conservative block shell with contain defenders staying wide, which tells you to abort and consider a real kick instead
Only call this play when your opponent has shown a tendency to rush the field goal block team hard off the edges or overload one side of the line
Use it in low-risk field position, ideally when a blocked kick would not be back breaking, since a blown fake here can gift the opponent a short field or a turnover
Pair it earlier in a game with a straight Field Goal 2 attempt to establish a pattern of kicking, then dial up Fake Fg Y Shovel once the defense relaxes their fake recognition
Mix in Fake Fg Holder Blast or Fake Fg Holder Power in the same drive package so the defense has to respect both an interior shovel and a direct holder run, spreading their discipline thin
Snap the ball quickly after your pre-snap look confirms the defense is not showing a safe, contain-first field goal block shell