Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Backs Cross is a five man route concept out of Shotgun Split Y-Flex that gets its name from the two backs crossing underneath the formation. The X receiver runs an out breaking route from the backfield alignment while the two backs cross paths in the shallow zone, one working left to right and the other right to left, creating natural traffic for man defenders. Up top the TE and outside receiver push vertically with a deep out and a corner or go route to stretch the defense high, while the crossing backs occupy the shallow zone. This is a man beater at its core, using the natural pick action from the crossing backs to shake off linebackers and slot corners, with the primary read progression starting on the shallow crossers underneath and working up to the deep out route on the boundary if the crossers are covered.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing man coverage with corners lined up tight on receivers, since this play is built to exploit man matchups with the crossing action. Watch the Mike linebacker depth and alignment, if he is stacked over the center at a shallow depth he is likely to jump the crossing routes and take away the underneath read. Post-snap, key the slot defender or nickel corner responsible for the crossing backs, if he fights through the traffic and stays attached, the quarterback should reset to the deep out route on the boundary. Look for a lurking safety or user controlled defender sitting in the middle of the field, since a good user read can undercut the crossing routes if the quarterback stares them down too long. Against zone coverage, the crossing backs can get caught in passing lanes, so check if the defense is playing a Tampa 2 or 3 hook shell that puts a linebacker directly in the crossing lane.
Usage Tips
Use Backs Cross on early downs or third and short when you expect man coverage since the crossing action underneath is designed to lose linebackers and nickel defenders in traffic.
Read the flow of the underneath crossers first, if your user is spying or the AI linebacker trails tightly, hot route one crosser into a quick option route to sit down against zone.
Check pre-snap for Mike linebacker depth, if he is sitting shallow he can jump the crossing routes, so be ready to work the deep out route on the boundary as your first read instead.
Pair Backs Cross with Y Shallow Cross or Mesh from the same set to keep defenders guessing on shallow crossing concepts, then mix in Y Post or Corner Strike to punish defenses that start cheating underneath.
Against zone heavy defenses, look to the deep comeback or out route on the sideline since the crossers can get swallowed by zone drops from linebackers sitting in the middle of the field.
