Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Trail Shake lines up out of Shotgun Empty Trips Speed, spreading five eligible receivers with no back in the backfield. The two outside receivers on the left run vertical seam routes up the numbers while the trips side runs a shake concept: the outermost trips receiver climbs a deep vertical, the middle trips man runs a quick out to the flat, and the inside slot receiver runs a shallow drag underneath that crosses the formation. This is a man beater built to attack off coverage and create natural rubs and picks on the trips side, with the shallow drag as the primary read against man and the flat route working as the checkdown against zone drops.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and cornerback alignment on the trips side since tight man coverage on the slot receiver is exactly what the shake concept is designed to defeat. Post-snap, watch for a user-controlled defender sitting in the shallow zone or lurking near the crossing route, since a rat linebacker or hook defender can jump the drag and turn it into a turnover. Cover 3 and Cover 4 zone shells with underneath defenders sitting on crossers can take away the primary shallow read, forcing the quarterback to check down to the flat route. Blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge can be exposed if the shallow drag gets open quickly, since it is a fast developing route that beats pressure before it arrives. Watch for man coverage with no safety help over the top on the outside vertical seams, since that alignment invites a big play if the quarterback resets to the deep route after the underneath options are covered.
Usage Tips
Look for single high safety looks or man coverage indicators like tight cornerback alignment before the snap since the trips side rub concept is designed to shake defenders in man coverage.
Your first read should be the shallow drag crossing underneath, it is the primary route against man coverage and creates natural separation off the traffic near the line.
If the defense shows zone drops, work the flat route as your quick outlet and use the vertical seams on the backside to hold safeties deep and open up throwing lanes.
Pair this play with Deep Cross or Levels in your play-calling sequence since both attack similar horizontal stress points and can set up defenders to bite on the shallow crossing routes.
Use this on early downs or manageable third down distances since the shallow drag and flat route give you a high floor conversion option while the verticals keep the defense honest deep.
