Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Drive out of Weak I Close Flex is a classic 21 personnel man beating pass concept built off a two level combo to the strong side. The Y (TE) or slot runs a shallow drive route flattening across the field underneath while the outside receiver on that side pushes vertically and breaks into a deep dig, creating a natural pick and separation window off the crossing traffic. Backside, the X receiver runs a quick out to the boundary and the fullback releases into a flat route, giving the quarterback a full field progression from the drive route in the shallow crossing area out to the backside out route. The primary read starts with the shallow drive route working left to right, then climbs to the deep dig if the underneath is taken away, with the backside out as the checkdown against zone drops.
Defensive Reads
Cover 3 sink defenders are the biggest threat to this play since they can rob the deep dig route if the flat defender widens late, so watch for a linebacker sitting in the intermediate hook to curl area Man coverage with no safety help over the top on the dig route gets exposed quickly, if you see press man alignment with a single high safety expect the dig to come open in the 12 to 15 yard range User controlled defenders lurking in the shallow crossing lane can jump the drive route, so if the user drops a linebacker straight into that window be ready to move to the backside out or the fullback flat immediately Cover 4 shells with quarters technique corners will sit on the dig route and squeeze the throwing window, this is where hot routing the backside out into a comeback or the flat into a wheel becomes necessary Blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge will remove the fullback as a blocker, so check pre-snap for overloaded fronts and be ready to get the ball out quickly on the shallow drive route as a built in hot route answer
Usage Tips
Look at the safety alignment before the snap, if you see two high safeties sitting deep this concept is going to have room to work the shallow drive route underneath before the corners can react
Use the deep dig as your primary answer versus man coverage since the crossing traffic from the drive route will naturally rub off linebackers and create a step of separation
Hot route the fullback flat route into a deeper option like a wheel or corner if you diagnose zone coverage before the snap, this stretches cover 3 defenders horizontally and vertically at the same time
Call this on second and medium to second and long situations where you want a chain moving concept that has answers against both man and zone shells
Pair this with HB Dive or HB Counter out of the same Weak I Close Flex look to keep linebackers honest, then come back to Drive once they start creeping up to stop the run
