Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
PA Boot Slide is a play-action bootleg concept out of Strong I in the Close Flex set with 21 personnel. Off the play fake, the QB rolls out toward the boundary side behind a slide protection scheme, with the outside receiver running a corner route to clear the flat and a slot receiver working an in-breaking slide route underneath. On the backside, a deep vertical seam and a shallow drag/crosser sit as answers if the roll direction gets taken away, giving the QB a full flood concept from deep to shallow on his rollout side. The primary read starts with the corner route to the flat receiver, works down to the slide route underneath, and comes back to the backside drag as the checkdown, making this a play-action man and zone beater built around the QB rollout flood.
Defensive Reads
Check the strong safety depth and alignment before the snap since rolling the QB away from a deep half safety opens up the corner route for an explosive gain. Watch for edge defenders staying home on the play side rather than crashing on the run fake, since a disciplined contain defender can force the QB to check down early. Against Cover 3, key the flat defender's drop, if he sinks with the corner route the underneath slide route will be wide open in the vacated zone. Man coverage teams that blitz off the backside edge can disrupt the timing before the QB fully sets up outside the pocket, so watch for late-arriving pressure from the non-roll side. Zone teams that spot drop and squeeze the flat with two defenders take away both the corner and slide routes, forcing the QB to work the backside drag as his outlet.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion or a hard count to bait linebackers into stepping up on the play fake before the QB rolls out. Identify single high shells like Cover 3 or Cover 1 pre-snap since the boot flood stresses the flat defender and hook zone defenders on the roll side. Against man coverage, hot route the backside drag into a deeper crosser to create separation off natural rub traffic near the formation. Pair this with FB Dive or Counter Weak earlier in a drive to sell the run action and get linebackers flowing downhill before hitting the boot. Best called on early downs or manageable third and medium since the rollout eats clock and needs a clean pocket away from the fake side.
