Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Slot Outs comes out of Shotgun Spread Y-Slot Wk with 11 personnel, aligning three receivers to the left and a slot/TE duo to the right. On the left side, the outside receiver runs an out breaking hard to the sideline at a shallow depth, the inside slot receiver runs a vertical seam straight up the numbers, and the third receiver from the backfield area breaks on an out and up to occupy the flat and hook defenders. On the right, both the TE and outside receiver run a mirrored combo of a vertical release into an out route, giving you a two way go on both sides of the formation. This is a zone beater built on horizontal stretch concepts, with the primary read starting on the left side boundary out against the flat defender, progressing to the vertical seam if the corner sits low, then working to the right side mirrored out/vertical combo if the defense rotates coverage away from the initial read.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and shell alignment since a two high shell tells you the flat defenders will likely sit on the outs, favoring the vertical seam read. Watch the flat defender or curl to flat linebacker on the left side immediately after the snap, because if he widens with the out route it opens the seam behind him. Key the corner's cushion at the snap, off coverage corners invite the out route as a quick completion while press corners force you to hot route into a man beating adjustment. Look for a user controlled defender sitting in the flat or lurking underneath, since a smart user can jump the out route and create a turnover if the quarterback stares it down. This play struggles against Cover 3 sink zones where the corner reroutes and the flat defender widens fast, so if you see three deep defenders rotating post snap, be ready to check down to the mirrored right side combo instead.
Usage Tips
Use this on second and medium to second and long when you expect zone coverage since the mirrored out routes attack cushion corners and flat defenders in Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells.
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing two deep safeties or a single high safety, because the vertical seam route on the left becomes the primary read against single high looks where the safety has to choose between the seam and the deep out.
Hot route the left flat receiver into a quicker option route if you see press man alignment, turning this into more of a man beater by giving him a stick or slant conversion.
Pair this play with Curl Outs or Double Cross in your play calling script since both mirror the horizontal stretch concept but attack different levels, keeping the defense guessing between shallow outs and deeper crossers.
Against aggressive linebacker blitzes, get the ball out quickly to the boundary out route since the route breaks fast and beats underneath zone drops before pressure arrives.
