Playbooks
Breakdown
Z Under is a five man route concept out of Pistol Spread 10 personnel that stresses the field horizontally and vertically at the same time. The two outside receivers to the left run a go route and a slant off the top of the screen, the boundary target runs a slant flat combo underneath a receiver dragging across from the backside on a deep flat/under route, and the far side receiver runs a corner route. This is a man beater built on natural rub and pick action from the crossing under route, with the primary progression starting at the corner route, working down to the drag/flat combo, and checking the slants underneath if the coverage sits deep.
Defensive Reads
Read the flow of the linebackers at the snap, if they widen with the flat route it opens a throwing lane for the drag route working underneath them. Watch for a user controlled defender sitting in a lurk technique in the middle of the field, since the crossing under route is vulnerable to a jumped throw if the user reads your eyes. Check safety depth before the snap, a single high safety who bites on the corner route pre-snap leaves the go route on the opposite side one on one down the sideline. Against a nano blitz or heavy pressure look, get the ball out quickly on the slant flat combo since the deep routes will not have time to develop. If the cornerbacks are playing off coverage with soft cushions, the underneath slant flat and drag concepts will be there quickly, so trust the quick game rather than forcing the corner route.
Usage Tips
Presnap identify if the defense is showing man or zone by checking for a single high safety and tight corner alignment on the outside receivers, since the crossing under route needs grass to work against man coverage.
If you see two deep safeties in a soft shell, hot route the corner route to a deeper post or bend it to attack the seam vacated by the safety rotation.
Use motion pre-snap if available to declare man coverage, then key the defender who follows the motion man to confirm man beater potential before the snap.
This play hits best on second and medium to second and long where the defense is more likely to sit in zone drops, giving the drag and flat combo room to settle.
Pair Z Under with Quick Slants or Slot Outside in your play calling sequence so the defense respects the quick underneath game before you hit them with the deeper corner and go routes for explosive gains.
