Double In Sail

Look for two deep safeties pre-snap, this indicates Cover 2 and tells you the flat defender will be stressed by the sail route climbing vertically. If the cornerback on the tight end side is playing off with outside leverage, expect Cover 3 and target the deep in route since the middle linebacker or hook defender will have to cover a lot of ground. Watch for a user controlled safety sitting in the deep middle, this defender is the biggest threat to the deep in route and can jump the throw if the quarterback holds it too long. If you see the slot cornerback walk up into the box pre-snap, this signals man coverage or a possible blitz, and the crossing ins on the trips side become vulnerable to being picked off by a hot user defender sitting underneath. Press coverage on the outside receivers combined with a shallow safety rotation typically signals Cover 1 or Cover 0, which shuts down the timing of the sail route and forces you to check down quickly.