Playbooks

Inside Cross

Shotgun·Empty Base·11

Crosser Pass Play

Play diagram for Inside Cross from Shotgun Empty Base in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetEmpty Base

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 4 playbooks

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Breakdown

Inside Cross is a five man route concept out of Shotgun Empty Base with no running back help in protection, so the quarterback must get through his reads on time. The two inside receivers run the namesake crossers from opposite sides of the formation, working underneath at the same depth in a classic mesh style rub, while the backside receiver runs a deep dig breaking hard toward the middle of the field. The two outside receivers stretch the defense vertically and horizontally with a deep comeback on one side and a corner route on the other. This is a man beater at its core, using the crossing traffic to create natural rubs and separation against man coverage, with the primary read progression starting on the crossers underneath before working up to the dig and comeback if the shallow routes are covered.

Defensive Reads

Check the middle linebacker depth at the snap, a shallow drop signals he is sitting on the crossers and will jump the shallow route so the quarterback should climb the ladder to the dig instead. Watch for a user controlled defender flashing into the shallow crossing lane, this lurk technique is the biggest threat against Inside Cross and forces the quarterback to hold the ball and reset to the comeback or corner route. Cover 3 with a hard sink from the flat defenders can clog the crossers, so look to attack the corner route in the void behind the cornerback if the safety rotates away from that side. Man coverage with no safety help over the top gets picked apart by this concept since the rub from the crossers naturally beats press and off man alike. Blitz packages that bring five or six rushers with no spy exploit the lack of running back protection, so if the defense shows heavy pressure presnap consider checking to a quicker breaking play like Stick instead.

Usage Tips

Presnap identify if the defense is showing man or zone by checking cornerback alignment, tight man coverage on the outside receivers signals this play is live for the crossers. Use the crossing routes as your first read since the rub action creates natural separation against man and lurk defenders in zone. Hot route the comeback route into a deep out or fade if you see a single high safety cheating toward the dig to eliminate a potential deep shot down the field. This play works best on second and medium to third and medium since the dig and crossers combine to consistently pick up eight to twelve yards. Pair Inside Cross with Y Cross or Mesh in your play calling sequence since both attack similar man coverage shells, forcing the defense to guess between shallow crossing traffic and deeper in breaking routes.