Playbooks

H Shallow Cross

Shotgun·Spread Y-Flex Wk·11
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Breakdown

H Shallow Cross out of Spread Y-Flex Wk is a classic man beater built around a deep shallow crosser working from one side of the formation to the other, paired with a dig or curl breaking underneath a deep vertical clear out to occupy the middle linebacker. The blocking scheme is standard shotgun pass protection with the back releasing late into the flat as a checkdown, giving you a built-in outlet against pressure. Primary read progression starts with the shallow crosser working across the field, then works to the dig or in-cut sitting behind it, and finishes with the flat route or checkdown to the back if the underneath window is clogged.

Defensive Reads

Check the middle linebacker depth pre-snap since a shallow drop means they can undercut the crosser, so look to work the ball late or move to the dig option Identify man coverage by watching for a defender aligned tight on the shallow route's original side, this play is designed to win against man leverage with natural rub concepts Watch for a lurking user controlled linebacker sitting in the shallow crosser's lane, that is the biggest threat to this concept and will bait quarterbacks into a pick six Against zone shells, read the flow of the underneath defenders, if they widen with the crosser the dig or in-cut window opens up in the middle of the field Cover 3 with an aggressive robber can shut this down fast since the shallow crosser runs right into the robber's zone, so be ready to check down to the back in the flat if that defender sits low

Usage Tips

Take a pre-snap look at the linebacker depth because if they are sitting shallow at five to six yards, the crosser will get body located and you need to speed up the throw before the wall off happens

Use the shallow crosser as your primary answer versus man coverage since it creates natural rub traffic and separation against man defenders trying to trail across the formation

If you see two high safeties with soft cushions, work the dig route behind the shallow instead since zone defenders will often widen with the crosser and leave the middle window open

Pair this play with RPO Peek Slant or Quick Slants in your call sheet to keep the defense honest on quick game while still threatening the crossing concept on early downs

This is best used on second and medium to third and short since the shallow cross develops fast enough to beat a soft zone shell but still needs a window that shows up before the rush arrives

Combine with PA Cross or PA Y Cross later in a series to sell the same crossing action off play action once the defense starts jumping the shallow route

Other Plays in Spread Y-Flex Wk