Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Eagles PoCo out of Shotgun Tight Slots is a post corner concept designed to attack Cover 2 and other split safety shells with a two way go on the outside. The backside receiver runs a corner route into the boundary while the frontside receiver breaks flat to the sideline, and the two inside receivers work an over route and a post corner combo where one inside receiver clears underneath while the other pushes vertical then breaks to the post corner in the seam between the safety and corner. The primary read starts with the post corner route working outside the numbers, then progresses to the flat route underneath if the corner sits deep, with the shallow crossing route as the checkdown against man coverage.
Defensive Reads
Post snap, watch the deep safety on the post corner side, if he stays flat footed or bites on the underneath crosser, throw the post corner immediately for a explosive gain. Identify Cover 3 pre-snap by checking for a single high safety, since that coverage can bracket the post corner route and force you to your underneath options. Watch for a nano blitz or edge pressure package, since the quick flat route becomes your emergency valve if the protection breaks down. Man coverage tells include tight press alignment on the outside receivers and linebackers shaded over the slot, which signals the shallow crosser should beat man to man matchups. Cover 2 with aggressive corners jumping underneath routes is the ideal shell for this concept, but be wary of a robber defender sitting in the middle of the field who can undercut the post corner throw if the quarterback stares it down too long.
Usage Tips
Call this on second and long or third and medium when you expect a two high safety shell since the post corner is built to split the deep defenders in Cover 2. Look pre-snap at safety depth, if both safeties are sitting at 10 to 12 yards with no rotation, trust the post corner route to work into that void. Hot route the flat route to a quick out if you see a corner blitz coming off the edge to get the ball out fast. Against man coverage, key the shallow crossing route as your first look since it creates natural separation off the pick action from the inside slot. Pair this play with Curl Outs or Stick Switch in your play calling sequence so the defense has to respect both underneath sit routes and the deep post corner shot, keeping linebackers honest and safeties guessing on rotation.
