Playbooks
Depth-chart slots are shown as they line up in the base package for this set.
| Player | Side | Route |
|---|---|---|
| HB1 | Left | Wheel |
| WR3 | Left | Streak |
| WR2 | Left | Hitch |
| TE1 | Right | Speed In |
| WR1 | Left | Drag |
Bounce Shallow Cross is a shallow drag concept out of Shotgun Trips TE Flex Close WK designed to attack man and zone coverage underneath while giving the offense a bounce element to the run action. The shallow crosser works from one side of the formation all the way across the field, rubbing off traffic to shake man defenders, while the trips side occupies the deep zones and clears out space for the drag to settle into if the defense is playing zone. The primary read progression starts with the shallow crosser working across the field, then bounces to the underneath flat or curl sit route if the crosser is taken away, with the check down as the final answer against a hard blitz.
Read the middle linebacker depth at the snap, since a linebacker sitting shallow will jump the crosser and force you to bounce to the check down or flat route. Watch for Cover 3 sink from the corners, which allows the shallow crosser to work underneath cleanly for an easy pitch and catch. Identify blitz packages by checking for a walked up nickel or slot defender near the trips bunch, since a nano blitz off that edge can beat the protection before the crosser develops. Key the user controlled defender in the middle of the field, as a lurking safety or linebacker sitting in the shallow zone can jump the route and bait a turnover. Man coverage with no safety help over the top opens up the trips side verticals as a shot play answer if the defense overcommits to taking away the crosser.
Use this play on second and short to medium third down situations where the shallow drag can pick up consistent yardage after the catch.
Identify pre-snap whether the defense is showing man or zone by checking linebacker depth and corner alignment on the trips side, since this route works best against man leverage.
Hot route the backside receiver into a quick out or speed out if you see a corner sitting in the flat, giving you a built in answer to Cover 2 or Cover 3 sink coverage.
Pair this play with Same Side Zone and Bounce Read Option in the same set to keep defenders honest on run fits before coming back to the shallow crosser for a big after catch gain.
Use manual motion on the crosser against man coverage to draw a pick or natural rub off the trips bunch and create separation at the top of the route.