Finding the Void: McVay, Stafford, and the Dig Route

The rumors of Matthew Stafford’s decline are overrated. The guy is still slinging it all over the field, including ridiculously accurate no-look touchdown throws, because he can. And as creative as the Rams are, they are also creatures of habit. That habit is throwing Sail, Smash, and Dig. They do it well. Let’s take a deep dive into the Rams throwing the dig route.

The Rams get to the dig on several pattern combinations: Y Cross, Dagger, and the single-receiver dig, because that is what they do.

Q2 | 3rd & 8 | -32 | 2:00 | 21-7 Rams

The Rams come out of the two minute drill in empty, ready to move the football. The 49ers present a 7-up look but will bail to a Cover 8 shell, Cover 2 to the trips and Cover 4 to the twins.

Stafford decides to work toward the boundary and makes a simple Quarters read. The defensive end, who is the flat player, expands with the out route, so Stafford stays patient and rips the dig as it comes open in the void between the flat defender and the safety. The Rams also throw a lot of Curl/Flat, and this is a similar read off of the flat defender.

Q2 | 2nd & 7 | -38 | 4:27 | 21-7 Rams

Dagger is nearly impossible to defend when the protection and the execution are both there. This variation stresses the coverage in several different ways. Tampa Bay is in Cover 6, Cover 4 to the strength and Cover 2 to the weak side. Start with the trips routes. The seam by the tight end attracts the backside safety in a poach technique. The corner route from #2 takes the safety, and they rarely pass off routes at this depth, so the dig portion belongs to the corner who is coming outside-in trying to make a play. What protects the corner? The hook defenders usually do. But now they have eye candy in front of them with the drag from the backside, which holds them just enough to create that void we will be talking about for this entire article.