Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Smash out of Flex Y Off Wk in Shotgun gives you a true Smash concept on the right side, with the outside receiver running a corner route while the flex TE/slot runs a hitch underneath to attack Cover 2 cornerbacks. On the left side the diagram shows a vertical seam and a wheel route from the backfield, giving you a second high low combo away from the boundary if the safety cheats to the Smash side. This is primarily a zone beater built to stress the flat defender and the deep half safety on the strong side, with the primary read progression starting at the corner route to the hitch, then working to the backside seam and wheel if the coverage rotates hard to the trips side.
Defensive Reads
Watch the strong side cornerback at the snap. If he sinks with the hitch, the corner route window opens immediately over the top. Key the flat or curl defender on the trips side. If he widens to the hitch, throw the corner route behind him before the safety can rotate over. Read the deep half safety. If he stays wide and shallow to protect the corner route, the backside seam has room to split the middle of the field. Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells with two deep defenders over the corner route will shut this down quickly, so check for a safety already leaning to the trips side pre-snap. Man coverage with underneath linebackers matched on the flex TE hitch is vulnerable to a rub or pick, so watch for user defenders trying to jump the route early and be ready to layer the throw to the corner route instead.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing Cover 2 or Cover 4 shell, since this play is designed to exploit the cornerback squeezing the hitch and opening a throwing lane to the corner route behind him.
If the safety on the smash side is sitting deep and outside, work the backside seam and wheel combo since single high or man coverage rotations will leave the wheel matched up on a linebacker.
Use this on second and medium to second and long when you expect zone drops, since the corner route needs room to develop and gets there fast.
Pair this with Curls or Double Post from the same set to keep the defense guessing between high low flat concepts and vertical shot plays, forcing safeties to hesitate on their run and pass reads.
Hot route the backside seam runner into a deeper post if you see the safety jumping the seam early, turning this into a big play answer against aggressive zone defenders.
