Playbooks
Depth-chart slots are shown as they line up in the base package for this set.
| Player | Side | Route |
|---|---|---|
| HB1 | Right | Angle |
| SLWR | Left | Corner |
| WR1 | Left | Hitch |
| WR2 | Right | Out |
| TE1 | Right | Streak |
Texas Smash is a classic Smash concept out of Shotgun Doubles Stack Clamp, pairing a hitch or quick out from one side with a corner route from the stack to attack the high low leverage of a single defender. This is a man beater and zone beater hybrid, exploiting cornerbacks who sit on the short route or safeties who cheat toward the corner. The primary read progression starts with the corner route breaking to the flat defender leverage, then works down to the underneath hitch or flat route if the corner is taken away, and finally checks to the backside for a scramble drill option if both are covered.
Watch the flat or curl defender at the snap, if he sinks with the corner route the underneath throw is open immediately Check safety depth before the snap, a single high safety rotating late signals Cover 3 or Cover 1, both of which struggle to defend the corner route without help Man coverage with no safety help over the top gets beaten badly by the corner route since the defender has to run the arc without inside leverage Zone blitzes with a sky safety rotating down can jump the short route, so be ready to climb the ladder to the corner route as your answer versus blitz packages User controlled lurk defenders sitting in the flat window can bait a quarterback into the hitch, so scan for a defender staying low and squatting before committing to the short throw
Presnap identify whether the corner is playing off man or sitting in a zone shell, since Texas Smash punishes corners who bail deep or squat on the short route with no help over the top
If you see two high safeties, trust the corner route to win outside since the flat defender has to respect the underneath throw and cannot fully cover the corner window
Hot route the backside receiver into a shallow drag or spot if you expect man coverage across the board, giving yourself a rhythm throw versus blitz looks
This play shines on second and long or third and medium to long because the corner route stresses vertical zone drops while the short route offers a checkdown against Cover 3 or Cover 4
Pair Texas Smash with Curl Ohio or Spot Choice in the same set to keep defenders guessing between high low smash concepts and quick game spacing, forcing linebackers to widen their zone drops