Playbooks

Smash Corners

Shotgun·Spread Y-Flex Wk·11

Corner Smash Pass Play Cover 2 Beater

Likely unavailable in the playbook builder

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

Diagram coming soon

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetSpread Y-Flex Wk

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 2 playbooks

Air Raid Classic OffenseOffense Elites OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Smash Corners is a classic Cover 2 beater built off the smash concept, pairing hard corner routes from the outside receivers with underneath hitches or flat routes to hold the corners and linebackers. The design stretches the boundary vertically and horizontally, forcing the deep safety in a two high shell to choose between the corner route and any crossing traffic underneath. Primary read progression starts with the corner route to the open side of the field, then works down to the flat or shallow route if the safety jumps the deep throw, with the backside corner as a late progression if the coverage rotates away.

Defensive Reads

Identify two high safeties pre-snap since this play is built to exploit Cover 2 where the corner route sits between the flat defender and the rotating safety. Watch the cornerback depth at the snap, if he sinks with the corner route instead of jumping the underneath route, look to the flat or hitch for an easy completion. Key the strong safety or deep half defender post-snap, if he breaks late on the corner route due to run fake or play action elsewhere in the set, the window opens for a big play down the sideline. This play struggles against Cover 4 with disciplined corners who can sink and wall off the corner route, and it is vulnerable to Cover 1 or Cover 3 with an aggressive underneath robber since the flat and hitch routes get taken away. Watch for a user controlled defender lurking in the intermediate zone since a good user player can rob the underneath route and bait the quarterback into a late corner throw that gets picked off.

Usage Tips

Check pre-snap for two high safeties before the snap since this play is designed specifically to attack Cover 2 and Cover 4 shells with soft corners.

If the CB is playing hard outside leverage with no safety help over the top, hot route the corner route to a fade or throw it early on a rhythm timing throw before the safety can rotate over.

Use this on second and long or third and medium situations where defenses are more likely to sit in zone shells rather than bring pressure.

Pair this play with Slot Fades or Four Verticals earlier in a series to condition the defense into staying in single high shells, then come back to Smash Corners to punish a switch to two high.

Against Cover 3, hot route the underneath hitch into a quick out or drag since the flat defender will have more width to cover and the corner route becomes riskier against a deep third defender.