Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Scat is a quick-hitting pass concept out of Trips Left Open in Pistol with a lone receiver split to the right running a vertical release up the sideline. On the trips side, the play shows a flat route settling underneath, a corner-breaking out route from the middle receiver, and the outside receiver stemming vertically before breaking back to the sideline. The HB releases out of the backfield on a wide swing route to the flat, giving the quarterback a five-man route distribution that attacks all three levels. The primary read starts with the vertical shot to the single-receiver side if the defense shows single coverage, then works to the trips side flat-to-corner combo, with the HB swing as the checkdown against pressure.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify whether the single-receiver side cornerback has safety help deep, since Cover 1 or Cover 0 looks with no help invite the vertical route for an explosive gain. Watch the trips side flat defender at the snap, if he sinks too deep into coverage he opens the underneath area for the flat route as a quick outlet. Key the linebacker depth over the middle of the field, shallow linebackers signal man coverage responsibilities and create running lanes for the HB swing route as a checkdown. Post-snap, track any user-controlled defender flying toward the flat route, since a jumped flat route usually leaves the corner route runner isolated behind him for a bigger gain. Cover 3 with a hard-sinking corner or Cover 4 shells with two deep safeties over the trips side tend to shut down the vertical and corner routes, forcing the checkdown to the HB.
Usage Tips
Check the single-receiver side pre-snap for a lone cornerback with no safety help over the top, this signals man coverage and opens the deep shot on the vertical route.
If the defense rotates a safety over the trips side, hot route the corner route into a quicker out or slant to beat off-man or Cover 3 cornerbacks jumping the flat.
Use this play on early downs to keep the defense honest before dialing up RPO Alert Bubble or RPO Read Bubble, since the trips alignment and backfield action look identical and force the defense to respect both run and pass.
Against zone shells, target the soft spot between the flat defender and the corner route runner, since the flat route occupies the underneath zone defender and clears a window for the breaking route.
Pair this with HB Dive or HB Slam in your play-calling sequence to set up defenders keying run fits, then come back to Scat to hit the vertical shot when the safety creeps into the box.
