Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Levels Sail out of Shotgun Trips TE Offset stacks two square-in routes from the trips side at different depths while the outside trips receiver clears vertically up the sideline on a go route, creating a natural levels read into a sail concept. The lone receiver opposite trips runs a corner route that stretches the boundary defender high while a flat route underneath from the backfield or slot occupies the shallow zone, forming the classic sail stretch of flat, corner, and deep vertical. This is a zone beater built to attack Cover 2 and Cover 3 by isolating the middle linebacker and flat defender with conflicting horizontal and vertical stress, with the primary read starting on the low to high levels combo on the trips side before working to the backside corner route if the safety rotates away.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and alignment, if you see two safeties splitting the field evenly this is a strong indicator of Cover 2 or Cover 4, both of which Levels Sail is designed to exploit with the levels stagger and sail stretch. Key the middle linebacker or hook defender at the snap, if he sits flat footed or bites on the shallow square-in, the user needs to sink deeper to cut off the second levels route before it converts into a first down. Watch the flat defender and corner route relationship on the backside, a Cover 3 cornerback sinking too deep opens the flat underneath, while a cornerback jumping the flat route leaves the corner route uncovered behind him. Man coverage with no safety help over the top is the biggest counter to this concept, press corners and man linebackers can disrupt the timing of the levels combo before the routes stack properly. Disguised zone blitzes that bring five rushers while dropping a defensive lineman into the shallow zone can jump the low square-in route, so user defenders should be ready to sit down in the flat and mirror the levels combo rather than committing to a deep drop immediately.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing two deep safeties or a single high safety, since this play punishes Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells that leave the intermediate hook and flat zones stretched.
Start your first read on the low square-in route out of the levels combo, then climb to the deeper square-in if the underneath defender sits too shallow, this in-and-in stagger is designed to confuse zone linebackers dropping to their landmarks.
If you see man coverage pre-snap, hot route the trips go route into a slant or use motion to check into a different concept from this set like Curl Combo or X Under, since Levels Sail is not built to win against tight man coverage.
Use this play on second or third and medium situations where the levels combo can pick up a first down underneath while the corner route on the backside keeps safeties honest.
Sequence this play off of Flood or Verticals from the same set so defenders start jumping outside vertical routes, then come back to Levels Sail to hit the levels combo working underneath before the safety can rotate over.
