Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Angle Y Sail lines up out of Shotgun Spread Y-Flex in 11 personnel with three receivers to the left and the Y-Flex TE and outside WR to the right. To the left the outside WR runs a deep dig across the field while the inside slot runs a vertical release that breaks into a quick out, creating a natural pick zone underneath. To the right the TE runs the angle route out of the backfield area, sitting down and breaking away from traffic, while the outside WR runs the sail route on a corner path toward the sideline and the number two receiver on that side clears vertically up the seam. This is a pass-heavy zone beater built around the sail concept with the angle route serving as the primary answer against man coverage and underneath zone defenders, so the first read is the angle route out of the backfield, then the sail route, then the deep dig if the defense sinks its underneath defenders.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and corner alignment on the sail side since a hard outside shade from the corner signals Cover 2 or Cover 4, both of which the sail and clearout combo is designed to exploit. Watch the linebacker depth at the snap, since a linebacker sitting shallow underneath is the exact defender the angle route is designed to shake with its stop and break move. If the defense rolls into Cover 3 with a single high safety, the deep third defender responsible for the sail and vertical seam will be outnumbered, so an alert user should rob the seam and force the sail throw underneath. User a defender to sit in the throwing lane of the angle route out of the backfield, since aggressive user play here is the quickest way to bait a turnover if the quarterback locks onto that first read. Man coverage with underneath help gives this play trouble against the angle route specifically, so shading a linebacker or nickel defender to mirror the TE's angle release and disrupt the sail timing on the outside shuts down both top options.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense shows two deep safeties or a single high look, since the sail concept on the right side is built to attack Cover 2 corners who have to choose between the flat and the corner route.
If the linebackers show blitz or walk up close to the line, hot route the angle route to a quick option or check it down immediately since it beats man coverage and blitz looks by settling into the void vacated by a blitzing linebacker.
Against Cover 3, work the sail route and vertical seam clearout first since the deep third defender cannot cover both, then come back to the angle route if the underneath zone defender sinks too far.
Use this play on second and medium or third and short situations where the angle route conversion is realistic, and pair it with Y Stick or Curl Flats from the same set to keep the defense guessing between quick game and the sail shot play.
If the user spies the angle route with a linebacker, look immediately to the sail route since the concept is designed so the two routes stress the same defender in Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells.
