Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Middle Slant out of Shotgun 5WR Trips lines up with three receivers to the trips side and two to the boundary. The trips side runs a vertical seam up the numbers, a deep out breaking to the sideline off a quick jab, and a short flat route underneath from the inside slot. On the two receiver side, the outside receiver runs a corner route while the inside receiver runs a shallow drag under the coverage across the middle of the field. This is a man beater built on the slant/drag combo creating natural rub leverage against man defenders, with the primary read starting on the middle slant/drag crossing underneath and progressing to the flat route if the linebacker widens with it.
Defensive Reads
Watch for man coverage indicators like corners lined up tight on the trips receivers pre-snap, this tells you the drag route will have YAC potential If the defense shows two deep safeties pre-snap, be ready for the corner route to get squeezed by a Cover 2 cornerback playing outside leverage Identify a lurking linebacker sitting in the shallow middle zone, this defender can jump the drag route in Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells and bait a turnover Blitz packages that bring extra pressure off the edge or through a nano blitz up the middle will disrupt the timing on the deeper seam and out routes, so check protection or slide the fullback if available Cover 4 or quarters shells with disciplined underneath zone defenders can take away both the drag and flat, forcing you to work the seam route against a deep safety instead
Usage Tips
Check the middle of the field pre-snap, if you see a single high safety expect man coverage underneath and prioritize the drag route against off man corners
Use the flat route as your outlet if the underneath defender sits on the drag, especially against zone drops from a Cover 3 shell
Hot route the backside corner route into a deeper comeback if you are facing a Cover 2 shell to avoid the safety rotating over the top
Pair this play with Four Verticals in your sequencing to condition the defense to bite on shallow crossers before hitting them deep on the same look
Best used on early downs or third and short since the drag and flat combo consistently gets you positive yardage after the catch against man coverage
