Playbooks
At a Glance
Overview
Strong I Jumbo is the heaviest look in the formation, swapping out the split end for an extra tight end and running 23 personnel: two backs, three tight ends, zero true wide receivers. Where the base Strong I sets keep a receiver detached to hold a safety honest, Jumbo condenses everything inside the numbers with the fullback offset to the strong side and tight ends stacked on both edges. That alignment forces the defense to either bring nickel personnel into a numbers disadvantage at the point of attack or match with base and accept slower coverage bodies on your tight ends.
The run game here is the whole point. HB Dive and FB Dive give you two different downhill hits at the A gap, Power O pulls the backside guard behind the fullback kick out, and Inside Zone Wk lets you cut back against a defense that overcommits to the strong side. With two extra blockers at the line of scrimmage, you win the gap count against most 4-3 and 3-4 base fronts and can grind out short yardage without ever asking your quarterback to make a read.
The passing concepts are pure play-action punishment. PA Spot and PA Spot (1) sell the inside run and drop a tight end into the spot window between the linebackers and the flat defender, while PA Sprint HB Flat gets the ball outside on the perimeter after the second level bites downhill. Because there is no receiver split wide, the flat and curl zones are usually vacated by defenders who are crashing the box, which turns a five yard tight end route into a chunk gain against man free and single high shells.
Strengths
- Gap count advantage on Power O and Inside Zone Wk against base personnel, with two tight ends and a fullback giving you extra bodies at the point of attack before you ever motion anyone.
- PA Spot and PA Spot (1) are elite against single high man because the tight end sitting in the spot window has no help defender inside once the linebackers step to the run fake.
- PA Sprint HB Flat attacks a completely empty perimeter when the defense crashes the box, and the halfback flat route is a reliable checkdown that turns into yards after catch against slower flat defenders.
- Condensed alignment makes it very hard for opponents to run outside blitzes and nano blitz variants without leaving the flats and seam windows uncovered.
- Hot routing an outside tight end to a corner or fade isolates him one on one against a linebacker or strong safety when the defense stays in base personnel to match your 23 look.
Weaknesses
- No detached receiver means no vertical threat to hold the deep safeties, so cover 3 and cover 1 defenders can sit shallow and squeeze every route in the play art.
- Inside blitz packages that flood the A gaps can get home before the play action develops, especially on PA Spot where the quarterback has a slow drop and no quick outlet.
- User-controlled linebackers eat this set alive because every read is inside the numbers and within twelve yards, which puts the user in position to jump the spot route or the flat.
- If your opponent goes goal line or 4-4 heavy against 23 personnel, the gap count evens out and HB Dive and FB Dive become predictable one yard gains.
- The set is a huge tendency giveaway on short yardage and red zone snaps, so opponents will stack the box and dare you to throw.
Usage Tips
Use this set on third and short, fourth and short, and inside the five where the extra blockers matter more than route spacing, then work in PA Spot to punish the run commit.
Check the second level pre-snap: if both linebackers are stacked tight and the safety is rotating down, the play action concepts have vacated windows behind them, so pull the trigger on the tight end in the spot.
Hot route an outside tight end to a slant or drag on HB Dive to build in a quick throw when you read man coverage, giving yourself an out against an inside blitz.
Run Power O to the strong side first to make the defense flow, then come back with Inside Zone Wk and hit the cutback lane on the weak side once the linebackers overplay the fullback.
Do not stay in Jumbo for extended drives against a good user, because the limited route tree lets them sit on the flat and spot windows with a controlled linebacker.
