Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Slants out of Pistol Weak Slot fires three quick slant routes at the underneath level, with both slot receivers running shallow slants and the outside receiver breaking to the near sideline flat while the backside X runs an inside slant that stems vertical then cuts hard across the field. The far outside receiver runs a deep dig to the opposite sideline to stretch the field horizontally and hold safeties. This is a pure man beater concept designed to attack quick leverage and pick up easy yards before the pocket collapses, with the primary read starting on the near slant into the backside crosser and the deep dig as the eventual outlet against zone drops.
Defensive Reads
Read the cornerback depth pre-snap, if they are playing tight man with no safety help over the top the slants will win immediately off the line. Watch for a robber or lurk defender sitting in the middle of the field since he can jump the crossing slant routes and create a turnover if the quarterback stares down the first read. Zone coverage with linebackers sitting at the sticks can clog the underneath slant windows, forcing the quarterback to work the deep dig against soft zone shells. Identify blitz packages by checking linebacker depth and edge alignment before the snap, since a hot blitz will beat the slower developing dig route and force the check down to the flat receiver. Cover 3 with a hard sink from the middle linebacker takes away the shallow crossers and makes the outside flat route the only quick answer.
Usage Tips
Fire this on early downs or third and short when you need a high percentage completion against man coverage. Pre-snap, check for man alignment on the slot receivers since slants exploit inside leverage and picks created by the crossing routes. If the defense shows two high safeties, hot route the deep dig receiver to a hitch or curl since he will not have space to work against a soft zone shell. Use motion out of the backfield to identify blitz packages before the snap, then get the ball out on time to the first open slant rather than holding for the dig. Pair this with a play like PA Boot or Roll Out Smash from the same set so the defense cannot sit on the quick game and has to respect the play action look off the same formation.
