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Quick Reference
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Breakdown
Smash out of Pistol Trips Open is a classic Cover 2 beater built off the trips side. The outermost trips receiver runs a corner route stretching the deep third while the slot receiver underneath him sits down on a hitch, creating the traditional smash high low read on the outside corner and safety. Inside the formation the tight end (or third trips receiver) runs a deep vertical seam to occupy the middle safety, while the backside single receiver runs a comeback to the flat and the running back releases on a check release flare to the boundary. Primary read progression starts with the corner route to the seam to the flat, working from outside in against the deep half defenders.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap check corner depth and safety alignment, since a soft corner shaded to the outside signals Cover 2 or Cover 4 that Smash is designed to punish. Watch for the corner sinking on the snap, if he stays high and deep the underneath hitch route should be open immediately for an easy completion. Key the middle linebacker or safety rotating over the top of the seam route, a heavy user controlled lurk defender there can jump the seam and force a checkdown to the flat. Diagnose Cover 3 by reading the flat defender's initial drop angle, if he widens too fast to cover the hitch the corner route behind him will be uncontested deep. Man coverage with no safety help over the top on the corner side is where this play struggles most, since the corner route requires timing and separation the defender can undercut with a good jam.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify two deep safeties before the ball is snapped since Smash is designed to exploit Cover 2 and Cover 4 shells that leave the corner soft on the outside.
If you see a single high safety rotate down, hot route the hitch into a slant or the corner into a fade to attack man coverage instead of forcing the smash read.
Use the seam route as a hot key against Cover 3, since the flat foot defender or curl to flat player often can't cover both the hitch and the seam vertically.
Pair this call with 61 X Choice or Z Spot in the same set so the defense sees similar trips formations but has to respect both underneath sit routes and deep breaking combos.
Best used on second and medium to third and short, since the hitch route gives a quick underneath answer if the corner route is bracketed.
