Playbooks

Smash Y Double

Shotgun·Tight Y Off Wk·11

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Breakdown

Smash Y Double is a classic smash concept pairing a corner route from the outside receiver with a double underneath threat from the Y (tight end) and adjacent slot, designed to attack the flat to deep quarter or deep half relationship in zone coverage. The high low read stresses the flat defender or curl to flat player: if the underneath defender sits, throw the corner behind him, and if he carries the corner, work the double underneath option for an easy completion. This is primarily a zone beater against Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells, though the double underneath crossers also give you a quick answer versus man coverage when you need a hot throw against pressure.

Defensive Reads

Look for a single high safety pre-snap which signals Cover 3 or Cover 1, in this case the corner route has to beat a deep third defender so widen your window by using the flat route as a checkdown instead of forcing the corner. Watch the flat or curl to flat defender immediately after the snap, if he sinks under the corner route the underneath double is wide open for a quick pitch and catch. Identify user controlled defenders lurking in the shallow zone since aggressive human players will often jump the underneath routes, if you see this happen let the corner route develop over the top for a big play. Cover 2 corner alignment with press technique tells you the smash concept is live, the corner route should split the gap between the cornerback and the deep safety before he can recover. Beware of a fire zone blitz look with five rushers and three underneath defenders rotating hard to the smash side, this can jump both the flat and corner reads simultaneously so check for a late arriving crosser or use hot route protection to slide the running back into a checkdown.

Usage Tips

Check the safety alignment before the snap, two deep safeties tell you the corner route has a clear high low read on the flat defender while one deep safety means you should climb your progression to the deep middle faster if the corner gets banjoed. Use the corner route as your first read on third and long since the smash concept naturally beats off man and Cover 2 corners playing outside leverage. Motion the Y or adjacent slot pre-snap to confirm man versus zone, if the defender follows across the formation you know you are getting man coverage and should prioritize the underneath double against a linebacker in space. Pair this play with Smash Drag or Smash X-drag in the same set so the defense sees the same initial route distribution but has to respect a shallow drag instead of a flat route, this keeps zone defenders honest and opens the corner route again later in the sequence. Combine with Smash Hammer or Smash Dagger on second and medium to keep the defense guessing between the double underneath option and a vertical shot down the seam off similar formation and motion.

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