Playbooks
Depth-chart slots are shown as they line up in the base package for this set.
| Player | Side | Route |
|---|---|---|
| HB1 | Left | Flat |
| SLWR | Left | Slant |
| WR2 | Left | Slant |
| WR1 | Right | Slant |
| TE1 | Right | Flat |
Double Slants is a quick-hitting man beater out of the Shotgun Doubles Y Off WK set that attacks the underneath middle of the field with a pair of slant routes breaking hard to the inside from both outside receiver spots. The blocking scheme is a standard five man pass protection designed to hold up just long enough for the ball to come out in under two seconds, making this a rhythm throw rather than a timing shot downfield. Your primary read progression starts with the slant to the side of the boundary or the side away from a rolled up corner, then works to the second slant, and finally checks down to the underneath option if both are choked off by a robber or hook defender.
Watch pre-snap corner alignment, since tight man coverage with no safety help over the top is the ideal look for this concept and cover 0 or cover 1 man defenses get shredded by the natural rub leverage of the slants. Key the middle linebacker depth after the snap, because a shallow drop into the passing lane signals a rat in the hole or lurk defender sitting on the slant window and forces you to your check down. Look for cover 3 sink or cover 4 match shells with underneath defenders sitting flat, which can jump the slant route if the quarterback stares it down too long. Recognize a nano blitz or interior pressure package pre-snap by checking the box count, since Double Slants has no built in hot route protection against a heavy blitz and the ball must come out immediately. Beware of a user controlled defender spying the middle of the field, as this play is vulnerable to a jumped route if the user reads the quick slant and undercuts the throwing lane before the receiver breaks.
Fire this play in quick passing situations like 3rd and short or 2nd and medium where the defense expects a longer developing route concept and sits back in zone.
Use pre-snap motion or a hot route on the running back to a flare or check release if you see a blitz alert, since the slants alone will not hold up long against six or seven man pressure.
Identify man coverage before the snap by looking for corners lined up tight with no safety help over the top, then attack the slant away from your fastest defender's alignment to win the leverage battle.
Combine Double Slants with Four Verticals or X Dagger from this same set so the defense cannot sit on the quick slant read once they see you lean on it repeatedly.
Against zone shells, throw off your first read into the void created by inside linebackers who bite on run action from Inside Zone Split or Mtn Inside Zone Split called earlier in the series.