Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 15 playbooks
Breakdown
Mesh out of Shotgun Tight Slots lines up two receivers on crossing routes underneath, one running a shallow drag from the left and the other running a mesh crosser from the right, converging near the middle of the field to create natural rubs against man coverage. The backside receiver on the left runs a deep vertical to hold the safety, while the right slot runs a short comeback and the flanker on the right side runs a deep corner route up the sideline. This is a classic man beater concept, with the primary read starting on the mesh crossers underneath before working up to the corner route against zone drops.
Defensive Reads
Against man coverage watch for the two shallow crossers to naturally pick off man defenders, creating easy separation for whichever receiver comes open first through the traffic. If you see Cover 2 or Cover 3 with linebackers sitting at a shallow depth, the mesh routes will get clogged, so progress quickly to the deep corner route on the right. Blitz packages that bring extra defenders off the edge open up throwing lanes for the underneath crossers since there are fewer defenders left to cover the middle. User controlled defenders sitting in a lurk technique in the shallow zone can jump the mesh crossers, so check the depth of any user linebacker before committing to that read. Cover 4 or match quarters coverage can be a problem since it allows defenders to sink and rob the intermediate crossing routes while still respecting the vertical route on the left.
Usage Tips
Presnap identify if the defense is showing man coverage by checking for tight press alignment on the outside receivers, since the mesh crossers are designed to rub off defenders in man. Hot route the comeback route into a shallow drag if you see a zone shell like Cover 3 to give yourself another crossing option underneath. Use this play on second and medium or third and short since the underneath crossers give you a high floor completion. Pair this with PA Seam or PA Shot Post from the same set to keep the defense honest on play-action after they start jumping the mesh routes. Look to work the deep corner route as a shot play if the defense sends extra pressure and leaves a corner in a trail technique underneath.
