Playbooks

FL Cross

Shotgun·Spread Dbl Flex·11
CrosserPass Play
Play diagram for FL Cross from Shotgun Spread Dbl Flex in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

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Breakdown

FL Cross is a five man route concept out of Shotgun Spread Dbl Flex 11 personnel that attacks the middle and boundary with a deep crosser and a corner route working in tandem. The backside receiver runs a deep drag across the field while the two receivers to the strong side stack a corner route over a deep in, and the running back releases into the flat as a checkdown or man beater against a linebacker in coverage. This is primarily a man beater thanks to the crosser creating natural separation against man defenders, though the corner and in combo also punishes zone defenses that sit too shallow. The primary read progression starts with the deep crosser working across the field, moves to the corner route if the safety bites on the crosser, and checks down to the running back in the flat versus a blitz or if both routes are covered.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, check safety depth and alignment since single high safeties are vulnerable to the crosser sitting behind the linebackers and in front of the deep half. Watch for the flat defender or nickel corner shading toward the running back release, which signals a possible blitz or man match assignment underneath. Post-snap, key on the middle linebacker or nickel defender to see if he sinks with the crosser or jumps the corner route, which tells you which route is open. This concept struggles against a hard Cover 2 shell with corners playing outside leverage, since the corner route can get squeezed by the deep half safety. Look for a user controlled defender flowing to the crosser early since that lurk threat can jump the route and create a turnover if the quarterback does not adjust the progression.

Usage Tips

Use pre-snap motion or a hot route on the flat back to scan for man versus zone before the snap, since the crosser is the key indicator route for this concept.

Against man coverage, trust the deep crosser and lead your throw ahead of the receiver to let him run through the traffic in the middle of the field.

Against zone shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4, work the corner route first since it sits behind the underneath zone defenders and in front of the deep safety.

Call this play on second or third and medium to long since the crosser and corner routes both take time to develop and need a clean pocket.

Pair FL Cross with Y Shallow Cross or Mesh earlier in a series so defenders start jumping shallow crossers, then hit them with the deeper crosser and corner combo for an explosive gain.

Other Plays in Spread Dbl Flex