Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Out Cross is a five-man route concept out of Shotgun Empty Strong Slots that stresses the field horizontally and vertically at the same time. The outside receiver runs a quick out to the boundary, the inside slot receiver breaks off a deep crossing route to the far side of the field, and the tight end runs a shallow drag underneath heading the opposite direction, with the backside receiver sprinting a vertical seam. Since this is Empty personnel there is no running back in the backfield to protect, so the entire line and any assigned blockers pass protect while the quarterback reads the field from an empty look. This is a man beater at its core, using the crosser to create natural separation off traffic and the deep vertical to punish any single high safety, with the shallow drag as the built-in checkdown against pressure.
Defensive Reads
Watch the strongside safety depth before the snap, since a safety sitting shallow signals a possible robber or Cover 3 look that will jump the crosser. Key the flat defender assigned to the outside out route, as a defender sitting flat footed at the snap indicates a zone drop that can be exploited by throwing the out before the zone closes. Track the middle linebacker or the nickel defender responsible for the shallow drag, since aggressive blitz timing from that defender opens up the crosser behind him but also shortens the quarterback's clock. This concept struggles against a disciplined Cover 4 or Cover 6 shell with capable zone defenders sinking underneath the crosser, since the route has to fight through multiple zone landmarks with no natural pick. If you see a two high shell rotate hard to the crosser side post snap, that usually means the defense is playing a match zone or a Cover 2 look that will get a corner or safety involved in taking away the deep out and out routes.
Usage Tips
Presnap identify whether the defense is showing Cover 1 or Cover 3, since the deep crosser creates the most separation against man coverage and single high shells with no safety help over the top.
Your first read should be the crossing route working from the strongside slot across the field, as it naturally picks up separation against man defenders who have to fight through traffic.
If the defense shows two high safeties or a hard flat zone to the strongside, hot route the out route into a quick hitter or peek at the shallow drag underneath for a safe checkdown against a blitz.
Use the vertical route on the backside as a shot play option versus Cover 1 or Cover 0 looks when you see man coverage with no deep safety help.
Pair this play with Verticals Under or Hoss Juke from the same set to keep the defense honest, since both concepts attack similar horizontal stretch zones but with different vertical stems, forcing linebackers and safeties to hesitate on their run fits and coverage drops.
