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Quick Reference
Not in any team playbook.
Breakdown
RPO Alert Jet Slant is an RPO out of Pistol Doubles Hip that pairs jet motion across the backfield with a run action and a built-in slant read to the alert side. The diagram shows the jet man motioning left to right behind the line while the run action bubbles slightly with the yellow arrow, and the alert receiver at the top of the formation runs a quick out and up (flat then vertical breaking route) as the pre-snap read key. This is a true RPO built to attack light boxes and off man or soft zone coverage, with the quarterback reading the alert defender to decide between handing off the run or pulling and throwing the slant/flat combo.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flat defender or overhang linebacker on the alert side before the snap, if he is sitting shallow expecting the jet sweep he is vulnerable to the vertical breaking route behind him. Man coverage on the alert receiver with no safety help over the top is the biggest weakness of this play, since the route design is built to separate vertically off the break. Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells with a deep safety rotated to the alert side can shut down the throw, forcing the quarterback to live with the run. Post snap, key the second level defenders' pursuit angle to the jet motion, if they overcommit to the flat the run lane opens behind them for the handoff. Watch for a blitz off the alert edge, since a fast defensive end crashing that gap can disrupt the mesh point before the quarterback finishes his run/pass read.
Usage Tips
Motion the jet man pre-snap and freeze the defense to see if the defender assigned to that flat area widens or crashes, since that determines your run versus pass read.
If the alert side defender squats on the flat or jumps the jet motion, pull the ball and hit the vertical breaking route behind him for an explosive gain.
Use this on early downs, first and second and short to medium, since defenses respect the run action and will bite on the jet motion, opening the RPO throw.
Pair this with Fk Jet Divide or Zone Fake Jet earlier in a drive so defenders start keying run on jet motion, then punish that tendency with this RPO for a big shot play.
Snap the ball quickly after your presnap read to prevent linebackers from getting a clean depth read on the alert route, and avoid calling this against known blitz-heavy tendencies unless you have a quick game answer dialed in.
