Playbooks
Slot Middle
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Slot Middle out of Shotgun Bunch X Nasty puts three receivers tight to one side with a lone receiver on the backside running an isolated go route to clear the top of the defense. From the bunch, one receiver runs a deep crossing route from the far side all the way across the field, another releases into a slant that turns into a drag underneath, and the third works a slant flat into the boundary for a quick underneath option. This is a man beater built on natural rub picks from the bunch alignment, designed to create instant separation against man coverage while still giving the quarterback a horizontal answer against zone drops. The primary read starts with the deep cross working through traffic, then works down to the drag and slant flat as safety valves underneath.
Defensive Reads
Watch for zone defenders sitting flat footed in short zones, that tells you it is likely Cover 3 or Cover 4 and the deep cross will find a soft spot behind the linebackers. If you see press man corners with no help over the top, expect the bunch rub routes to spring someone open quickly, so jump the drag or slant flat with a user defender rather than staying with zone assignments. Key the flow of the linebackers after the snap, if they widen with the drag route it opens a throwing lane for the deep cross behind them. Look for a robber or lurk defender sitting in the middle of the field, that is the biggest threat to this concept since it crosses right through the intermediate middle where a lurking defender can jump the route. Disguised blitzes that bring extra rushers off the edge can force a quick throw before the deep cross develops, so sim pressure or a nano blitz look pre-snap should make you expect a quicker underneath answer.
Usage Tips
Check the safety alignment before the snap, if you see two high safeties sitting deep this play still works because the underneath drag and slant flat give you quick access throws against soft zone drops.
Against man coverage, trust the bunch rub action to spring the deep cross open, especially versus man press teams that like to jam at the line since the traffic disrupts the defender's re-route.
Use this on early down and medium to long yardage situations where you have time to let the deep cross develop, since it takes a beat longer to clear than the underneath options.
Pair this with Mtn Slot Middle or Mesh Spot from the same set to keep the defense guessing between the mirrored crossing concept and a true mesh concept, both attacking similar leverage points.
If the defense shows blitz pre-snap, hot route the backside go into a quicker breaking route or check down to the flat route immediately since the deep cross needs time to develop against pressure.
