Playbooks

TE In

Shotgun·Trips TE Flex·11
InPass Play
Play diagram for TE In from Shotgun Trips TE Flex in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

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Breakdown

TE In is a five man route concept out of Shotgun Trips TE Flex that clears out the underneath middle with a crossing route to attack zone hooks and man leverage. The three trips receivers run a vertical seam, a deep vertical, and an in cutting route from the flexed TE that crosses the field, while the backside single receiver runs a deep out that breaks toward the sideline at a similar depth to the TE In route. The primary read starts with the TE In route working across the middle against zone drops or man coverage that overplays outside leverage, then progresses to the backside deep out and finally to the vertical seam if the crosser gets picked off by a linebacker or safety spinning down.

Defensive Reads

Pre snap, check safety depth and spacing since a two high shell with soft corners tells you the TE In crosser will have running room before the safeties can rotate over. Post snap, key the middle linebacker or nickel defender responsible for the shallow hook zone, if he sits and reads the quarterback's eyes he can undercut the crossing route for a jump throw pick. Watch for a user controlled defender lurking in the shallow zone, competitive opponents will often spy this exact crossing route with a linebacker to bait a turnover. Man coverage with inside technique corners struggles to leverage the TE In route once it clears the formation, so look for man match calls that show trail technique pre snap as a red flag. Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells with linebackers sitting at five to seven yards depth are the toughest matchup, since they can squeeze the crosser and force you to progress to the backside out or vertical seam.

Usage Tips

Use this play when you diagnose a two high safety shell pre snap since the TE In has room to work underneath split safeties before they can close the throwing window.

On third and medium situations the TE In route sitting at the sticks makes this a reliable man beater against linebackers who lack the speed to stay over the top of the crosser.

If the defense shows Cover 3 with a hook defender sitting in the middle, hot route the backside receiver's deep out into a quicker comeback so you have a faster outlet against the sinking zone.

Pair this play with Levels Sail or Dagger from the same set so the defense has to respect both a deep shot and an underneath crossing concept, forcing linebackers to hesitate on their drops.

Watch the flow of the middle linebacker at the snap, if he widens to take away the TE In you should reset to Stick or PA Crossers on the next play to attack the vacated middle void.

Other Plays in Trips TE Flex