Playbooks

Smash

Pistol·Trips·11

Smash Pass Play Cover 2 Beater

Play diagram for Smash from Pistol Trips in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationPistol

SetTrips

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 8 playbooks

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Breakdown

Smash out of Pistol Trips gives you the classic high low read on the boundary side while the trips side works a corner route and a flat/out combo underneath. The backside X runs a corner route to the top of the numbers while the inline TE settles on a quick out at the sticks, creating the smash concept high low on that single receiver side. To the trips side the outside WR pushes vertical up the seam, the middle slot runs a shallow drag/flat that curls under, and the RB releases out of the backfield on a wheel/flat route to the boundary, giving you a five man route distribution against both man and zone shells. Primary read progression starts with the smash side corner to flat matchup, then works to the trips seam route, and checks down to the RB flat route if the underneath defenders sink deep.

Defensive Reads

Cover 2 shells are the primary weakness here since the corner to flat smash concept forces the cornerback to choose between the flat and the corner route, creating a natural high low conflict. Watch the flat side cornerback at the snap, if he sinks with the corner route the flat route is an automatic completion, if he sits on the flat the corner route wins over the top. Man coverage with a single high safety is vulnerable to the trips side seam route, especially if the slot defender is a linebacker who cannot match speed vertically. Cover 3 with an aggressive underneath defender jumping the flat can be beaten by sliding the RB route or hot routing the flat to a deeper option since the flat defender is removing himself from the throwing window. Beware of Cover 4 or Cover 6 shells with two deep safeties splitting the field, since they can bracket both the corner route and the seam route, forcing the quarterback down to the checkdown or flat route quickly.

Usage Tips

Attack Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells first since the corner and flat combo on the boundary is designed to stress the deep half or deep third defender.

Pre snap, identify if the corner is playing off man or sitting in a zone drop, if he bails deep at the snap the flat route underneath will be wide open for an easy conversion.

Use hot routes to convert the trips seam route into a deep post if you diagnose single high safety looks, this turns the concept into a big play shot.

Run this on second and medium to third and long situations where defenses expect zone coverage, then pair it with Slants or Stick from the same set to keep the defense guessing on the quick game.

Combine with PA Boot or PA Dagger later in a series once the defense starts jumping the flat route, using the same Pistol Trips alignment to sell the run action and hit the corner route deep.