Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Smash Spot is a five man protection pass concept out of Shotgun Split Y Off Close with 11 personnel. To the left, a two man smash combo sends the outside receiver deep on a corner route while the inside receiver runs a flat/out underneath, creating a high low stretch on the boundary corner. To the right, the play stacks a deep corner route from the inline TE with a short out breaking route from the slot, forming the spot concept read from outside in, while the backfield stays in to block. This is a classic Cover 2 and Cover 3 beater built to attack the flat defender and deep quarter or third defender with the corner route once the underneath route clears space.
Defensive Reads
Read the cornerback depth at the snap, since a corner playing tight man coverage is vulnerable to the smash combo's flat route sitting underneath the corner. Key the flat defender in Cover 2 or Cover 3, if he sinks with the corner route the flat is open, if he stays low the corner route has room over the top. Watch for a user controlled safety sitting in a deep half or deep third, since a rangy user defender can undercut the corner route if the quarterback holds it too long. Check the middle linebacker's drop, in man coverage schemes a linebacker spying or blitzing off the edge can disrupt the protection before both corner routes fully develop. This concept struggles against press man with strong safety help over the top, since the corner routes have no natural pick or rub to separate the receiver from a physical corner.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the corners are playing off or press since the corner routes need a cushion to work against Cover 2 flat defenders. If you see two deep safeties, hot route the backside inside route into a deeper crossing route to hold the middle linebacker and open up the corner throw. Against zone shells, work the progression from the flat route to the corner route on either side, since the flat route occupies the underneath zone defender and clears the corner for the deep shot. Use this play on 2nd and medium to 3rd and long since it takes time to develop the corner routes and needs the protection to hold up. Pair this with Portland HB Angle or Mtn PA HB Swing earlier in a series to bait linebackers into biting on quick throws, then come back to Smash Spot to hit the corner route once defenders start jumping short routes.
