Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
PA Boot Slide is a play-action rollout concept out of Weak I Slot that pulls the quarterback away from the pocket on a fake handoff before rolling him out to the boundary. Off the fake, the play sends a deep out or corner route from the backside receiver, a deep vertical from the split end, an intermediate crosser working underneath from the slot, and a shallow drag or slide route from the TE that mirrors the QB roll to give him a quick outlet. The primary read progression starts with the deep out breaking to the flat area the QB is rolling toward, then works to the crosser sitting down in the intermediate zone, and finally the TE slide as the checkdown if both are covered.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flow of the linebackers at the snap, if they bite hard on the run fake the crosser and TE slide will have wide open throwing lanes. Key the flat defender to the side of the roll, if he sinks into the deep out route the QB should immediately reset to the underneath crosser. Man coverage on the slot receiver is where this play hits hardest, the crosser creates natural separation against man defenders trailing across the field. Cover 3 with a hard-charging edge rusher can disrupt the timing, so the QB must be ready to break the pocket and throw on the run if the boot lane collapses. User-controlled defenders who spy the rollout lane or jump the TE slide route are the biggest threat, so the QB should look off that route before committing to it.
Usage Tips
Run this on early downs or second-and-medium when you have already established the run game so linebackers bite on the play-action fake.
Pre-snap, check for single high safety or Cover 3 shells since the rollout forces defenders to move laterally and buys the QB extra time against those shells.
Hot route the backside receiver into a deeper comeback if you see the corner sitting on the out route in Cover 2 or Cover 4.
Use the TE slide as your dump-off against zone blitz looks where the edge defender crashes hard, since the roll direction naturally moves the QB away from that pressure.
Pair this with HB Blast or Texans HB Lead earlier in a series to sell the run fake, then call PA Boot Slide once the defense starts keying run fits.
