Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
TE Slot Cross out of Empty Trey lines up with five receivers spread wide, no back in the backfield to protect, and the TE working from the slot on a deep crossing route that clears out underneath from left to right. The outside receiver to the trips side runs a corner route up the seam while the two receivers to the boundary side stack a deep comeback and an out and up, and the inside slot receiver at the bunch runs a shallow drag underneath the crosser. This is a man beater built around the natural rub created by the crosser and drag stacking traffic for defenders in trail technique, with the primary read starting on the TE crosser working left to right, then bouncing to the corner route breaking outside if the middle of the field is occupied.
Defensive Reads
Presnap, identify if the defense is showing Cover 3 or Cover 1 with a deep third or single high safety, since the crosser will have room to work if there is no underneath robber sitting in the middle of the field. Watch the slot corner and nickel defender at the snap, if they immediately bail into deep zone drops rather than mirroring the crosser and drag, this is likely zone coverage and you should sit the crosser down in the window instead of running it across the field. Key the weakside linebacker or dime defender for a lurk threat sitting in the shallow crossing lane, a user controlled defender jumping this route early is the biggest risk to the TE crosser and drag combo. Against Empty formations, defenses often bring extra pressure since there is no back to chip, so identify overload blitz looks presnap and be ready to get the ball out on the shallow drag or hot route quickly. If the safeties rotate hard to the trips side presnap, expect man coverage or a strong side blitz, which favors the TE crosser working away from the rotation into open grass on the backside.
Usage Tips
Use this play on second and long or third and medium when you need a defined answer against man coverage rather than a scramble drill concept.
Presnap, check for man indicators like corners lining up in press or a single high safety rotating late, since the crosser and drag combo thrive when defenders have to run through traffic in man technique.
If the defense shows two high safeties presnap, hot route the crosser to sit down against zone drops instead of running through the picture, or check into the corner route as your first read since zone defenders will not carry it as deep.
Pair this call with Curls Y-Shake or Dbl Slot Cross in the same set so the defense sees similar crossing action and cannot key on the TE release, then hit them with Four Verticals or Y-Post Ohio once they start jumping the shallow crossers.
Empty formations remove the running back protection, so with no one in the backfield, get the ball out on time on the primary crosser read to avoid free rushers off the edge on delayed blitzes.
