Playbooks
Breakdown
Cheat H Out is a five-man route concept out of Bunch TE with pre-snap motion, built to flood one side of the field while stretching the defense vertically on the backside. From the bunch, two receivers clear out on deep routes that split wide (a deep out and a corner-breaking route) while an inside receiver runs a shallow drag underneath across the formation. On the strong side, the motioned H-back releases into a quick out route breaking to the sideline, working in concert with an underneath crosser that sits down in the middle as a check-down option. This is primarily a man beater, using the motion and the out breaking route to create instant separation against man leverage, though the flat and drag combo gives you answers versus zone as well. The primary read starts with the H-back's out route on the boundary, then progresses to the shallow drag crossing underneath, and finally to the deep out/corner combination if the defense jumps the short stuff.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify whether the cornerback aligned over the H-back travels with the motion, which confirms man coverage and tells you the out route will likely win. Check safety depth before the snap: two deep safeties with the cornerbacks playing off suggests a zone shell that will bracket the deep out and corner routes on the backside. Post-snap, watch for a linebacker or nickel defender sitting on the shallow drag route since that user-controlled defender can jump the crossing route and blow up your second read. This play struggles against Cover 3 sink or Cover 4 match zones because the deep out and corner routes run into the boundary corner's zone drop, so look for cloud coverage rolled to the trips side as a red flag. Watch for a delayed blitz off the edge on the H-back's side since the quick out route timing can be disrupted if the quarterback has to climb the pocket before delivering the ball.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion on the H-back to identify man versus zone before the snap: if the defender follows across the formation you know you are getting man coverage and the out route becomes an even stronger first read.
Attack this play on second and short to medium yardage situations where defenses are more likely to sit in man coverage or play aggressive underneath zones.
If the corner playing the motion man sits low and squats on the out, work your eyes immediately to the shallow drag which should be wide open against man coverage.
Pair this play with Cheat TE Hitch HB Seam and Cheat TE Hitch N Go from the same formation to keep the defense honest, since the identical bunch alignment disguises whether you are attacking short or deep.
Against zone shells, hold the ball a beat longer and look to the deep out or corner route on the backside since zone defenders will often crash down on the flat and drag combo.
