Playbooks
Shakes
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Shakes is a quick-hitting man beater out of Pistol Strong Slot Open that attacks the boundary and field with a five man route combo. To the closed side, the outside receiver runs a deep out while the slot works a whip route underneath, giving the quarterback a quick man beater against tight coverage. To the open side, the outside receiver releases on a slant while the flanker runs a corner route and the flat defender is stretched by an underneath flat route from the inline slot, creating a slant flat combo that attacks Cover 3 zone drops. The primary read starts with the whip route working off the slot defender's leverage, then progresses to the slant flat side if the flat is vacated by a zone drop.
Defensive Reads
Watch the slot cornerback's depth pre-snap, if he is playing tight man technique the whip route will create instant separation. Read the flat defender post-snap, if he sinks with the corner route the flat route underneath will be wide open. Cover 3 defenses struggle with the slant flat combo because the corner has to choose between the deep third and the underneath flat threat. Man coverage with a deep half safety can take away the corner route, forcing the quarterback to check down to the whip or flat routes underneath. If the defense shows a nano blitz off the edge, the quick flat route serves as the built-in answer since it releases immediately into the vacated space.
Usage Tips
Check pre-snap for single high shells since the corner route on the open side has room to work against Cover 3 rotation.
If you see man coverage with no safety help over the slot, hot route the whip route into a quick option route to exploit the leverage.
Use this on second and short or third and short since the whip and flat routes give the quarterback a fast, high percentage completion window.
Pair Shakes with Mesh or Mtn Spot in the same set to keep the defense guessing between a quick game concept and a spot combo that stresses the same underneath zones.
Against aggressive user blitzers, target the flat route immediately off the snap since it clears the box fastest and punishes contain-based pressure.
