Playbooks

Buck Slant 3

Dime·2-3-6·Big Dime 4-1-6

Cover 3 Line Slant Zone Coverage

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This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Diagram coming soon

Quick Reference

FormationDime

Set2-3-6

Personnel

Big Dime 4-1-62 EDGE2 DTMIKE3 CBFS2 SS

In 3 playbooks

Superstar Blitz DefenseDefense Superstar Man DefenseDefense Superstar Zone DefenseDefense

Breakdown

Buck Slant 3 is a Cover 3 zone defense out of the Dime 2-3-6 set that uses a Big Dime 4-1-6 personnel grouping to defend against pass-heavy offensive looks. The line slant tag shifts the four man front at the snap to create a gap advantage and speed up the interior pass rush while the secondary drops into a three deep, four under zone shell behind it. Your primary read starts with the deep middle third defender, since that is where quarters and Cover 3 holes get exposed by seam routes, then works down to the underneath zone defenders to react to shallow crossers and flat routes.

Defensive Reads

Watch for two high safeties rotating down at the snap, since that presnap disguise often bait quarterbacks into throwing seam routes right into your deep middle defender. Key the running back release out of the backfield, since Cover 3 line slant looks are vulnerable to check release routes into the flat if your underneath defenders bite on the initial line movement. This call struggles against quick three step slants and stick concepts to the flat, so be ready to sink your underneath zone defenders immediately rather than reading run first. Man beater route combinations like double slants or spot concepts can exploit the natural pick zones created by the line slant, so user the flat defender to jump underneath routes rather than staying flat footed. Against four verticals, trust your deep middle defender to stay disciplined and not jump the first crosser, since the line slant pressure is designed to force a quick throw before verticals fully develop.

Usage Tips

Call this on early downs or second and medium when you expect a balanced pass or quick game attack rather than a deep shot play.

Use the pre-snap alignment to confirm your safeties are showing a three deep shell, then user the deep middle defender since he has the most ground to cover against seam and post combos.

If the offense audibles into heavy trips or bunch formations, adjust your underneath zone defenders with pre-snap hot routes to widen their drops and stay in phase with shallow crossers.

Pair this call with Cover 3 Match or Cover 3 Buzz Match on the next snap so the offense cannot key on the same shell twice and gets baited into throwing into a robber defender.

Mix in Edge Blitz 3 from the same set on third and long to disguise pressure while keeping the same deep third shell the quarterback saw on Buck Slant 3.