Playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn Slant Whip In lines up from Shotgun Tight with 11 personnel and shows a strong left-side flood combined with a whip route out of the backfield. The two receivers to the left run a deep vertical/corner combo and a slant while the inline TE runs a deep in over the middle, and the backside receiver runs a shallow in from the right. The HB releases into a whip route out of the backfield, snapping outside then curling back in, giving the quarterback a built-in checkdown against blitz looks. This is a man beater first, since the whip and slant create natural separation against man leverage, but the deep in and flood concept also stress zone defenders who have to cover multiple levels vertically.
Defensive Reads
Key the strong side linebacker or nickel defender assigned to the HB out of the backfield, if he widens too fast the whip route will sit down in the vacated space. Watch safety rotation after the snap, a two high shell that rotates down to the trips side signals zone coverage and opens the deep in route behind the rotation. Man coverage on the backside receiver running the shallow in is vulnerable if that defender has outside leverage, since the in-cut breaks toward the middle of the field. Look for a linebacker spying the whip route, if he sits directly in the throwing lane the quarterback needs to progress quickly to the deep in or slant instead of forcing the checkdown. Cover 3 with a hard flat defender can take away the whip route entirely, so identify that flat drop pre-snap and lean on the vertical and slant combo on the strong side.
Usage Tips
Motion the backside receiver before the snap to identify man versus zone based on whether a defender follows across the formation.
Use the HB whip route as your first read versus any blitz look since it clears out quickly and provides a safety valve against pressure.
If the defense shows single high safety, prioritize the deep in from the TE since it splits the middle zone between the hook defenders and the deep safety.
Pair this play with Mtn Drive Sluggo or PA Deep Post in the same set to keep defenses honest on vertical shots after they start jumping the whip route.
Best used on second and medium or third and short since the whip route and slant combo give quick access throws that convert manageable distances.
