Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 14 playbooks
Breakdown
Cheat Slash Wheel In lines up out of Shotgun Normal Y Off Close (11 personnel) with a receiver motioning across the formation before the snap, a pre-snap tag that helps identify man coverage if the defender follows across. At the snap the backside X runs a deep in that crosses the field underneath, the slot runs an out and up the sideline, and the boundary receiver isolated to the right runs a wheel route out of the backfield area up the numbers. The concept is a man beater built to attack leverage with the wheel as the home run shot and the deep in serving as the underneath, high-low answer against zone drops, with the primary read progression going wheel first for the vertical shot, then working back to the deep in crosser.
Defensive Reads
Check pre-snap safety depth, single high shells with the corner playing outside leverage on the wheel side are vulnerable to the vertical wheel route beating a linebacker in coverage Watch for a cornerback or safety sinking under the wheel route from a two high shell, this indicates a pattern match zone that can rob the wheel and force the check down to the deep in crosser Key the flat defender and any user controlled linebacker, if they widen with the motion or the wheel route the middle of the field opens up for the deep in crosser sitting behind the linebackers Man coverage with no safety help over the top is the biggest liability for the defense here, a linebacker or nickel defender trailing the wheel man from the backfield almost always loses leverage on the vertical break Zone blitz packages that bring a slot corner or overload one side can disrupt the wheel route timing, if the defense shows pressure look to get the ball out quickly on the underneath in route before the wheel fully develops
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to confirm man versus zone before the snap, if the defender trails the motion man across the formation it is man coverage and the wheel route becomes the priority read
Take the wheel shot early against man coverage, especially if a linebacker or slower defender is matched up on the running back or slot man in the wheel
Against zone shells, work the deep in crosser as your primary target since it settles into the void behind underneath defenders and in front of deep zone drops
Pair this play with Fk Jet Y Wheel or Fake Jet Y Wheel in the same set to keep defenses honest on jet motion looks while still hitting the wheel concept
Best called on second or third and medium to long, since the wheel needs time to develop and the deep in crosser requires the quarterback to hold the ball an extra beat
