Cutup Friday: 2022 Dolphins PA Pop / Gronk
This concept has exploded in college football the first few weeks of the season. I have tweeted out at least 4 different teams running it.
Great compliment for gap schemes like Counter and Power. Easy read for the QB too.
Breakdown taken from The 2022 Miami Dolphins Complete Offensive Manual. The end of the breakdowns shows a 9-minute cutup of the concept for paid subscribers.
Similar to PA Bang Dig, the Pop concepts are quick-hitting play action concepts. Paired with both zone and gap play action, this concept is designed to replace the weak hook defender with a Low Cross-type route.
The Dig that trails the Low Cross is usually the second read for the quarterback. Using fast motion for the Dig is a way to help gain inside leverage for the route.
Versions with the whip route invert the read slightly. The Whip is the first read. If the flat defender commits to the Whip, the rest of the read stays intact for the quarterback.
Why it Worked: Tua hits Hill on the Circus route shown in the 6th diagram in week 9. The Circus route is the isolated route from the X receiver, inside release and break out at about 12 yards based on the leverage of the corner. The pop route from the tight end gets matched with man coverage, so Tua resets to find Hill 1 on 1. This is a nice secondary option on the concept against man coverage.
In week 7, Tua hits the tight end on the pop route. The Steelers play a 5-down front. The Will bumps over with the pulling guard, which allows the Pop route to slip behind for a split second. The next image shows the play.
Why it Didn’t Work: In week 12, the tight end on the Pop route gets collision by the near linebacker. This collision gets into the trailing Dig window too, forcing the quarterback to scramble. Getting a clean release on the Pop route is critical for the success of the play. The Pop route needs to work vertical over the Mike, if the Mike is lined up inside of him. In this clip, he tries to cross his face.
The video below shows 9-minutes of PA Pop / Gronk
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