Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Deep Smash out of Shotgun Bunch TE lines up three receivers tight to the formation with the corner route from the outside receiver stemming vertically then breaking to the deep sideline while an inside receiver runs a crossing route underneath to the opposite hash, creating a natural high low stretch on the boundary corner. On the backside, a single receiver runs a deep drag across the field, giving the quarterback a built in outlet if the smash concept is capped. This is a classic Cover 2 beater: the corner route sits behind the flat defender and in front of the deep safety, forcing the corner to choose between the flat and the deep quarter, while the crosser serves as the check down against zone drops. Primary read progression is corner route first for the vertical shot, then work back to the deep crosser if the safety jumps the sideline throw.
Defensive Reads
Watch for two deep safeties pre-snap, which signals Cover 2 or Cover 4 and tells you the corner route should be your first read. If the flat defender squats hard and does not carry any receiver deep, that is your green light to throw the corner route on time. Key the backside linebacker depth: if he sits shallow near the line, expect a robber or Tampa 2 look that will jump the deep crosser. User controlled safeties who bail late off the hash can rob the corner route, so be ready to reset to the crosser if you see a late safety rotation. Man coverage with press corners and a single high safety is the toughest shell for this play since the corner route has less separation and the crosser faces a trailing defender in space.
Usage Tips
Use this on 2nd and long or 3rd and long when the defense is more likely to sit in Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells to protect against explosive plays.
Identify the pre-snap safety alignment: if both safeties are deep and split wide, the corner route has room to work against a hard-charging flat defender.
Hot route the backside crosser to a deep dig if you see a robber or Tampa 2 look, since the extra underneath defender can undercut the shallow crossing route.
Pair this play with Bunch Levels or Stick from the same formation to keep the defense honest on shorter zone drops before hitting them with the corner shot.
Against man coverage, use motion out of the bunch to identify man versus zone before the snap, then lean on the crosser as your man beater since it creates natural rub traffic.
