Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Fade Smash out of Shotgun Trey Offset is a classic two-man smash concept run to the trips side, with the outside receiver running a fade to the corner and the slot receiver working an underneath curl or hitch to occupy the shallow zone defender. On the backside, the single receiver runs a vertical seam route while the inline TE releases up the boundary, giving you a four-man route distribution against both man and zone shells. The primary read starts with the fade/smash high-low on the trips side, then works back to the backside vertical if the corner sits on the smash route.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and corner alignment on the trips side, since a deep half safety indicates Cover 2 or Cover 4, both of which are vulnerable to the fade smash high-low. Post-snap, watch the flat defender or nickel corner underneath, since if he sinks with the fade route the smash route will be wide open in the void behind him. Watch for user-controlled safeties jumping the fade route, since this leaves the smash route or backside vertical uncovered for an easy completion. Man coverage with no safety help over the top is where this play struggles most, so if you see Cover 0 or tight man alignment on the outside, expect the fade to be well defended and lean on the underneath smash instead. Look for linebackers or nickel defenders showing blitz off the edge, since a hot smash concept with a quick underneath route can be a built-in answer if the protection breaks down.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the corner over the trips fade is playing off man or bailing into a deep zone, since this dictates whether you throw the fade early or let it develop into the smash window.
Against Cover 2, target the smash route sitting underneath the fade since the corner is forced to choose between the deep fade and the flat, creating a natural high-low stress.
Against man coverage, hot route the underneath smash receiver to a quicker out or speed cut if you need a faster release against a physical corner, and lean on the backside vertical as a one-on-one shot play.
Use this on second and medium to second and long where defenses are more likely to sit in zone shells, since the fade smash concept is specifically built to punish Cover 2 and Cover 4 look coverages.
Pair this with Verticals Y Drag or Dagger from the same formation to keep the defense honest, since both plays sell vertical stress before working underneath, making your play-calling less predictable.
