Playbooks

Inside Cross

Shotgun·Spread Flex·11
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This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 1 playbook

Spread Classic

Breakdown

Inside Cross is a man beater built around a deep crossing route that works to the opposite side of the formation, paired with an underneath crosser and a flat or check route to hold linebackers. The blocking scheme is a standard five man protection, giving the quarterback a clean pocket to let the crossing routes develop against man coverage. The primary read progression starts with the deep crosser working from the numbers to the middle of the field, then works down to the underneath cross if the deep route is blanketed, and finally checks down to the flat or hot route option if both are covered.

Defensive Reads

Read the middle linebacker depth at the snap, if he sits shallow and does not carry the crosser across the field the deep cross will be open behind him Watch for a user controlled defender sitting in a lurk position in the shallow middle zone, this is the biggest threat to the underneath crossing route and will bait quarterbacks into a pick six Identify press man coverage on the outside receivers pre-snap, the crossing routes are designed to beat this look by rubbing off defenders as they cross the field Cover 2 with a hard flat defender can squeeze the underneath cross and take away the quick option, so be ready to progress immediately to the deep crosser Blitz packages that bring an extra rusher off the edge can collapse the pocket before the deep crosser has time to develop, so identify overload blitz looks pre-snap and be ready to check down early

Usage Tips

Use this play on second or third and medium when you expect man coverage since the crossing action creates natural separation against man defenders trailing across the field

Check the safety alignment pre-snap, if you see two deep safeties in a shell it signals Cover 2 or Cover 4 and you should be ready to work the underneath cross instead of forcing the deep crosser into a robber defender

Motion the slot receiver or use a hot route to turn the flat route into a quick option if you diagnose a blitz, this gives the quarterback a checkdown against pressure

Pair Inside Cross with Mesh or Y Shallow Cross in your play calling sequence so the defense has to prepare for multiple crossing concepts, this makes it harder for defenders to jump the routes with user coverage

Against Cover 3 look to hit the deep crosser in the void behind the underneath linebackers and in front of the deep third defender, this is the primary zone beater window on this concept

Other Plays in Spread Flex