Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Levels Switch out of Pistol Trips Open is a classic Cover 2 beater built on horizontal stretch and route switching to confuse man coverage. From the trips side, the outermost receiver runs a deep dig across the field while the two inside receivers cross underneath, one settling into a shallow drag and the other pushing to a shallow crossing route, creating a stacked levels read at three different depths. The backside single receiver runs a comeback breaking outside, giving the quarterback a built-in outlet away from the trips concept if the coverage rotates hard to the three-receiver side. Primary read progression starts with the deep dig from the trips side, works down to the two crossing routes underneath, and checks the backside comeback last against zone drops or blitz pressure.
Defensive Reads
Look for two deep safeties pre-snap, since Cover 2 shells are the primary weakness this concept attacks with the deep dig sitting between the safeties and the crossing routes underneath the linebackers. Watch linebacker depth and spacing at the snap, if they drop shallow and wide they can undercut the crossing routes, so be ready to climb the dig read behind them. Man coverage with a single high safety is more dangerous for this concept since the crossing routes can get picked or collide, so check for press alignment on the trips receivers before snapping. User-controlled defenders sitting in a lurk position near the middle of the field can jump the dig route, so scan for a defender cheating inside before committing to that first read. Blitz-heavy fronts with man coverage behind them force a fast decision, so key on extra rushers and be ready to check down to the backside comeback if the pocket collapses before the levels routes develop.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense shows two deep safeties or a single high shell, since this play is designed to exploit that middle-of-field-open Cover 2 look with the deep dig splitting the seams. If you see man coverage with no safety help over the top, hot route the dig into a corner route or speed up the crossing routes to create quicker separation against man beaters. Use this play on second and medium to long third down when defenses are more likely to sit in zone drops and give you access to the levels read. Combine this with Middle Slant or Z Spot from the same set to keep defenders guessing between a quick horizontal stretch and this deeper levels concept, forcing linebackers to hesitate on their drops. Against teams that consistently play Cover 3, pair this play with Verticals to bait the corners into jumping the crossing routes, then attack the void behind them on later downs.
