Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mid Slants out of Pistol Strong Slot Open sends both outside receivers on slant routes working to the same intermediate window, with the inside slot receiver breaking on a corner route that clears out over the top. This is a man beater built on natural rub and pick action, since the two slants stack the same throwing lane and create a pick for whichever defender trails second. The primary read starts with the boundary slant, then works to the field side slant if the underneath defender jumps the first route, with the corner route as a hot progression against man coverage that overplays the shallow crossers.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify single high safety looks paired with tight man corners, since this concept exploits man coverage by picking off trail defenders on the double slant stems. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, since shallow linebackers sitting in the throwing lane can undercut both slants and force you to the corner route as the outlet. Key the corner route defender post-snap, since a defender who bails deep opens the underneath slants but a defender who sits shows he is reading the quarterback and will jump the throw. Against Cover 3 or Cover 4 zone shells this play loses value fast, since zone defenders will simply pass off the slants and squeeze the throwing window between levels. Look for a user-controlled defender lurking in the middle of the field, since that defender can jump the crossing slant paths and turn this into a pick six if you throw without confirming the coverage shell first.
Usage Tips
Check the pre-snap alignment for man coverage indicators like tight press corners or a single high safety before snapping, since the rub concept on the slants is designed to defeat man defenders. Hot route the backside slant into a quick out if you see Cover 2 sitting the corners deep, since the natural slant window shrinks against a hard flat defender. Use this play on second and medium or third and short when you need a quick underneath answer against blitz-heavy defenses, since both slants develop fast and give you a rhythm throw. Pair this play call with Mesh or Mesh Dig from the same set to keep the defense guessing between shallow crossing concepts and slant combos that attack the same underneath area differently. If the defense starts jumping the slants after repeated looks, call PA Slide or Y Cross from this set to hit the same formation with a different vertical stem and catch aggressive underneath defenders cheating.
