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Quick Reference
Not in any team playbook.
Breakdown
Deep In out of Shotgun Doubles is a five man route concept built to attack Cover 3 and other zone shells with a deep in-breaking route as the primary target. The backside receiver runs a deep comeback while the slot climbs vertically on a corner route to clear space, and the play side stacks a flat route underneath a deep crossing route that works from the numbers all the way across the field. The primary read starts with the deep dig (in) route once it settles into the void behind the linebackers and in front of the safety, then progresses to the deep cross if that window is occupied, with the flat route serving as a checkdown against underneath pressure.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and spacing since two deep safeties splitting the field wide open signals Cover 4 or Cover 2 and tightens the window for the dig route. Watch the middle linebacker at the snap because if he sinks into the deep in route's landing zone, you need to progress immediately to the deep cross on the far side. User controlled defenders sitting in the flat can jump the underneath route, so read their leverage before checking down. Cover 3 with a single high safety is the biggest weakness for this concept since the dig route settles right in the seam between the deep third and the underneath zone defenders. Man coverage with a robber or lurking defender in the middle of the field can undercut the dig route, so key on that extra defender before committing to the primary read.
Usage Tips
Use this on second and long or third and medium when you need a chunk gain over the middle of the field.
Identify Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells pre-snap since the dig route sits perfectly in the seam created by the deep thirds or quarters.
If you see man coverage with no safety help over the top, hot route the corner route from a curl to a fade to create a one on one shot play.
Pair this with Curl Flats or Spot N Go earlier in a series so the defense respects the shorter routes before you hit them with the deep in for explosive yardage.
Against zone blitz looks, get the ball out quickly to the flat route since the protection can break down if the deep routes take too long to develop.
