Dagger concept

Dagger concept is a way of stretching the defense in both vertical and horizontal directions.

This combination is typical for NFL and college games. It includes two receivers. The forward one opens the dig route for a backside colleague who uses drag to create a low-action dig combination for horizontal defense stretching.

The slot receiver needs to clear at leastthe the middle of the field. The vertical players use bend to occupy defenders.

Dagger concept often leads to building all 4 coverage schemes. The vertical must to block man defender or the centerfield free safety to avoid cover1 tactics. The occupation of the latter is a condition against cover3. The cover 2 or cover4 is destroyed by clearing the play side of 2 high safety. The occupation of the middle (Mike) linebacker is a way to struggle against the Tampa 2 scheme used by some teams.