Playbooks
Levels Switch is a horizontal stretch passing concept built off the classic Levels combo, run from a five-wide Empty Trey Flex set out of Shotgun with no backfield help on protection. The switch release on the trey side crosses the receivers at the snap to create natural rubs and confuse man defenders trying to stay on top of their assignment, while the underneath and intermediate routes stack in-breaking patterns at different depths to attack zone drop windows. This is primarily a zone beater and Cover 2 killer, with the primary read progressing from the deep in-breaker on the trey side down to the underneath crosser, then working back to the backside comeback or option route if the levels stack is capped.
Identify the safety shell before the snap, two deep safeties splitting the field evenly is the green light since Levels concepts are designed to attack the seam between the corner and safety in Cover 2. Watch the flat defender or curl to flat player after the snap, if he sinks too deep chasing the intermediate route the underneath crosser will have a wide throwing lane for an easy checkdown. Key the middle linebacker's depth at the snap, a shallow drop signals zone coverage and tells you the levels stack will be wide open behind him, while an aggressive downhill blitz read means you need to get the ball out on the underneath route immediately. Beware of user-controlled defenders sitting in the passing lanes on the trey side, a smart human opponent will often spy the deep in-breaker with a linebacker or nickel defender to jump the route, so have your check down or backside option ready. This concept struggles against Cover 3 with a hard-flowing flat defender and disciplined Cover 6 shells, since the corner can squeeze the levels stack from depth and the underneath crosser has nowhere to work.
Take a pre-snap glance at the safeties before the snap, if they are sitting at 10 to 12 yards deep and shaded to one side you are looking at Cover 2 or Cover 4 and this concept will eat that shell alive.
Because it is Empty personnel there is no running back to check protection, so on obvious passing downs identify the most dangerous blitzer and slide protection or hot route your inside receiver into a quick option route to beat pressure.
Use the switch release to your advantage against man coverage by letting the routes naturally pick defenders, then work your first read to the deep in-breaker since the rub often springs him wide open against a trailing corner.
Pair this play with Four Verticals and Wdt Post in your play-calling sequence so defenses cannot sit on the levels stretch, forcing them to respect the deep shots before you come back to this high-percentage completion.
This play shines on second and long or third and medium since it stresses the intermediate zones exactly where offenses need first down conversions, but avoid calling it into aggressive Cover 3 sky looks where the flat defender can undercut the shallow route.