Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Slot Choice Spot out of Shotgun Flanker Close is a Spot concept blended with a choice route from the slot, giving you a built-in zone beater with man route flexibility. The outside receiver runs a vertical clear route, the slot man runs a choice route that breaks out and up against the sit of underneath zone defenders, the tight end runs a corner route off a hitch-up stem, and the backside receiver runs a shallow flat route underneath. The running back stays in to block, so this is a five-man protection with no blocking scheme beyond pass pro, and the primary read progression starts with the choice route working against the flat defender before climbing to the corner route and flat route as your zone beaters.
Defensive Reads
This play beats Cover 3 and other zone shells that leave a soft spot between the flat defender and the deep third corner. Watch the flat defender pre-snap: if he is aligned wide and deep, the choice route has room to sit and settle for an easy completion. Post-snap, track the underneath linebacker or nickel defender dropping into the hook zone since a slow drop opens the choice route immediately. Man coverage with a hard press on the slot receiver disrupts the choice route timing and forces you to rely on the flat route or corner route instead. A user-controlled defender sitting in the shallow flat zone can jump the underneath route, so be ready to climb your eyes to the corner route if that window closes early.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing zone or man leverage on the slot receiver since the choice route reads coverage and adjusts its break accordingly.
Against Cover 3, key the flat defender: if he sits underneath the choice route, break outside and stack the corner route window for a big play.
Use this play on third and short to medium since the flat route and choice route give you quick outlets, while the corner route is your explosive shot if the safety bites on the flat.
Pair this with Stick or Dragon Spacing in your play-calling sequence to attack the same flat and hook zones from different angles and keep zone defenders guessing.
If you see man coverage pre-snap, hot route the backside flat receiver into a quick out or slant to create immediate separation since the choice route becomes less effective against tight man leverage.
