Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Slot Out from Shotgun Normal Flex Wing 11 personnel features a five route pass concept with two clearing verticals to the left and right sidelines and an out breaking route from the slot receiver that sits at the sticks. The blue route out of the backfield releases underneath into a quick out breaking pattern in the middle of the field, giving the quarterback a horizontal stretch read with a built in checkdown. The two go routes on the outside occupy the deep corners and safeties, opening up the intermediate out and the underneath flat route as the primary read progression, working from the outside go routes clearing space to the slot out and then down to the underneath route.
Defensive Reads
Key the flat or curl to flat defender immediately after the snap since he determines whether the slot out route or the underneath route is open. Against man coverage watch for a user controlled defender jumping the slot out route break, this is the biggest threat to the primary read. Zone shells like Cover 3 and Cover 4 can be exposed if the flat defender widens with the outside go route, leaving a soft spot for the slot out to sit in. Cover 2 with an aggressive corner sinking underneath the slot receiver can jump the out route timing, so be ready to check down quickly. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, a shallow linebacker dropping into the underneath route lane signals a sim pressure or zone drop designed to take away the checkdown.
Usage Tips
Read the flat defender pre snap to determine if this is a man beater or zone beater rep, the slot out wins hard against man coverage because of the sharp break at the top of the route. Use motion or a hot route on the underneath crosser to adjust against Cover 3 sink zones if the flat defender is sitting too deep. This play works best on second and medium or third and short since the primary out route settles quickly and gives a high percentage completion window. Pair this play call with HB Power or HB Dive out of the same Normal Flex Wing set to keep defenses honest against the run before hitting them with the out breaking concept. If the defense shows Cover 2 shell pre snap, look to hit the underneath route quickly before the corner can sink and undercut the out.
