Playbooks
Clearout
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Clearout is a play-action flood concept out of Shotgun Trey Open that clears out the deep middle to set up a corner and out combo underneath. The backside single WR runs a deep go to occupy the corner and safety, while the trips side runs a corner, out, and seam to flood the right side of the field at three levels. The RB fakes the run then releases on a swing route to the left as a checkdown, and the play action hold from the fake handoff helps freeze linebackers before they can sink into their zone drops. Primary read progression starts with the corner route on the trips side, works down to the out, then checks the seam, and finally comes back to the swing route if everything else is covered.
Defensive Reads
Watch the play side outside linebacker or slot defender at the snap, since if he sinks deep to cover the corner route the out route underneath will be wide open. Key the free safety pre-snap, because a single high alignment tells you the go route is drawing him away from the seam and corner combo on the trips side. If the defense shows two safeties deep with corners playing off, expect the out route to be the first route jumped by a user controlled defender sitting in a shallow zone. Look for a lurking linebacker sitting in the middle of the field reading the quarterback's eyes, since he can undercut the seam route if the quarterback stares it down too long. Man coverage with no safety help over the top gets exposed by the go route on the backside, so if you see press man alignment on that outside receiver, be ready to take the shot deep instead of working the flood side.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion or a hard count to identify if the defense is playing zone or man, since the corner and out combo on the trips side is designed to stretch cover 3 and cover 2 shells horizontally and vertically. If you see two deep safeties, target the out route sitting underneath the corner for an easy pitch and catch. Against single high looks, trust the go route on the backside to hold the free safety and work the seam route as your primary read since it will split the underneath zone defenders. This play works best on second and medium to second and long situations where you have room to take a shot but also a checkdown available on the swing route if the blitz shows. Pair this play with Curls or Y Stick HB Angle earlier in a series to set up the play action fake, since defenses that bite on the run look will be vulnerable to this deeper flood concept. Use the swing route as your answer versus pressure looks, especially if you see the defense stacking the box pre-snap.
