Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Double Slants lines up in Shotgun Spread Y-Flex Wk with 11 personnel, spreading four receivers across the formation. Both the left outside receiver and the left slot receiver run slants that cross underneath, while the right side runs a switch release with the outside receiver working a deep in and the slot receiver breaking outside on a quick out, and the backfield receiver runs a short flat/drag route underneath to hold linebackers. This is a man beater that attacks natural picks created by the crossing slants, with the primary read progression starting on the near slant (the receiver breaking hard inside first) before working to the second slant and then the flat route as a checkdown against tight man coverage.
Defensive Reads
Press man corners on the outside receivers are the biggest tell that the slants will win immediately off the line since the rub concept beats press man consistently. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if the underneath defenders sit shallow in zone drops they can undercut the slant, so look to reset to the flat or the deep in route on the opposite side. Cover 3 with a hard sink from the flat defender will take away the shallow crosser, forcing the quarterback to climb the ladder to the deep in breaking route. Blitz looks with man coverage behind them are the best case scenario for this concept, since the crossing slants clear space instantly before pressure arrives. A user-controlled linebacker sitting in the shallow throwing lane can jump the first slant, so have a plan to look off that defender or go directly to the deep in on the backside.
Usage Tips
Presnap identify if the defense is showing man coverage with tight press alignment on the outside receivers, since the crossing slants create natural rubs that are difficult for man defenders to fight through.
Use motion or a quick glance to the boundary to see if a linebacker is walked out over the slot, which tells you if the slant will have a clean lane or run into a wall.
Hot route the backfield flat route into a quick check release if you see a blitz look, since that receiver becomes your outlet against pressure.
Pair this play with Quick Slants or RPO Peek Slant earlier in a series so the defense starts keying the same slant footwork, then hit them with Flanker Dig or Double Post out of the same formation to punish overaggressive underneath jumps.
Best used on second and short or third and short to medium since the slants clear out quickly and the timing forces a decision before the pocket collapses.
