Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Smash Corners lines up in Shotgun Spread 10 personnel with four wide and one back protecting. Both outside receivers run corner routes up the numbers while both slot receivers run quick hitches underneath, creating a true Smash concept on each side of the field, and the running back releases into a short check release/flat option behind the line. This is a Cover 2 beater by design, high-lowing the corners with the hitch/corner combo on both sides, and the primary read progression is boundary corner route first, then work to the field corner if the deep half safety jumps it, with the hitches as your quick outlet against a hard squat or blitz look.
Defensive Reads
Watch the corners at the snap: if they sink and turn their hips to the sideline immediately, that is a Cover 2 shell biting on the hitch, so throw the corner route behind them. Key the deep safeties before the snap. Two safeties split wide with corners playing tight to the line is the exact shell this play is designed to exploit. If the corner sits flat footed on the hitch route and refuses to bite, it likely means a safety is rotating over the top to help, so look off and reset to the opposite side corner route. Watch for a Cover 3 rotation or a robber look, since a single high safety sitting in the deep middle can undercut the corner route if the quarterback is late. Man pressure with a nickel blitz off the slot can disrupt the timing on the outside corners, so account for a hot route on the running back to the flat as your answer versus five or six man rushes.
Usage Tips
Pre snap, identify which safety is showing two high because this play is built to punish Cover 2 corners who sit on the hitch and get beat over the top.
If you see man coverage instead, the corner routes still work versus Cover 1 or Cover 3 corners playing outside leverage, but consider hot routing a slot hitch into a speed out to create more separation.
Use this on second and long or third and medium situations where the defense is more likely to sit in a two deep shell to protect against the run and defend the sticks.
Pair this call with Smash Digs or Post Flags from the same set so the defense cannot key on the corner route shape after you have shown it once.
If the user drops a linebacker into a deep hole read or trots a safety over to help double the corner, check down to the running back's flat release for a safe underneath completion.
