Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Levels out of Shotgun Duo Slot Open is a classic three level stretch concept on the play side. The outside receiver runs a deep vertical to hold the corner and safety, the slot receiver runs an in-breaking dig at intermediate depth, and the inside receiver runs a shallow crosser underneath, stacking three horizontal reads at three different depths for the quarterback to read low to high. On the backside, the tight end or slot runs a deep out breaking route away from the concept, while the running back releases on a check release into a flat or swing route as the outlet, giving this play strong answers against both man and zone coverage.
Defensive Reads
Key the safety depth pre-snap, if you see a two high shell rotate down into a single high look after the snap, that is a strong indicator of Cover 2 or Cover 4 match, both of which Levels is designed to exploit. Watch the flow of the middle linebacker, if he sinks deep to cover the dig route, the shallow crosser underneath should be wide open for an easy completion. User controlled defenders sitting in the intermediate hole or lurking near the dig route are the biggest threat to this concept, so be ready to check down to the running back or backside route if you see a user flashing into that zone. Cover 3 with an active underneath robber can take away both the shallow crosser and the dig, forcing the quarterback to rely on the deep vertical or the backside out route instead. Man coverage with an aggressive blitz package can disrupt the timing needed for the dig and crosser to develop, so recognize blitz alignment pre-snap and be ready to get the ball out quickly on the shallow route or checkdown.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing two deep safeties or a single high shell, since Levels is a certified Cover 2 beater that attacks the hole between the corner and safety on the play side.
Use the dig route as your primary read against zone coverage, working the ball into the window behind the linebackers and in front of the safety before the window closes.
Against man coverage, prioritize the shallow crosser underneath since it creates natural separation off the traffic near the line of scrimmage, especially versus press corners.
Hot route the backside deep out into a shorter option or bring the running back into a check release protection if you are facing a heavy blitz look, since this gives you a built in answer versus pressure.
Pair this play with HB Swing or RPO Read HB Flat in your play-calling sequence to keep defenses honest on quick game reads before hitting them with the deeper levels concept once they start jumping underneath routes.
