Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Cheat Fk Swing Wheel is a play-action pass out of Pistol Tight Y Off Flex that uses pre-snap motion to create a swing-wheel combo on one side while a deep post-corner breaks opposite. The diagram shows the motion man releasing to the flat and turning it into a wheel route up the sideline, the TE running a flat-to-corner breaking route across the middle then up, and a receiver on the opposite side stemming vertically then breaking back across the field on a deep crossing route. This is a play-action man beater designed to attack overaggressive linebackers and safeties who bite on the run fake, with the wheel route exploiting man coverage leverage against slower defenders in space. The primary read starts with the wheel route out of motion for a leverage mismatch, progresses to the deep crossing route if the wheel is capped, and checks down to the underlying flat route as the last resort.
Defensive Reads
Watch the linebacker assigned to the motion man before the snap, if he stays wide and trails the wheel route it signals man coverage that this play is built to exploit. Key the safety over the deep crossing route, if he stays high and reads quarterback eyes he can undercut the route and turn it into a turnover. Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells with deep zone drops are the toughest matchups for this play since the wheel route runs into a deep defender waiting on the sideline. Man coverage with a slower linebacker or safety matched on the wheel route is the ideal matchup, since the route stresses vertical speed in space. Watch for user-controlled defenders sitting in the shallow flat or spying the play-action fake, since a lurking user defender can jump the underneath route and disrupt the whole progression.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify man versus zone before the snap, if the defender follows the motion man across the formation you have a strong indicator of man coverage and should prioritize the wheel route immediately.
This play hits best on early downs or second-and-medium when defenses are more likely to play base coverage rather than heavy zone drops that can clog the crossing route.
Hot route the backside receiver into a quick out or slant if you see a Cover 3 shell, since the deep crosser can run into late zone help against three-deep coverage.
Pair this play with Cheat Swing Flat or RPO Read Flat Wheel earlier in a series so the defense starts keying underneath swing action, then hit them with the wheel route breaking up top for a big play.
Look to attack blitz-heavy defenses with the play-action element, since the run fake can freeze linebackers long enough for the wheel and crossing routes to develop against a lighter box.
