Playbooks
Sail out of Shotgun Trips Y Iso is a classic three level flood concept that overloads one side of the field with a corner route, an out or flat route, and an underneath check down. The trips side typically stacks a deep clear out route with an intermediate sail route and a shallow flat route, while the backside receiver runs a dig or drag to hold safety help. This is a zone beater at its core, attacking sky and cloud coverages by stretching flat defenders and curl to flat players vertically, and the primary read progression starts deep to short: clear out first to see if it drags a safety, then the intermediate sail route, then the flat as the check down against zone or man leverage.
Watch the flat defender or cloud corner, if he sinks too deep chasing the sail route the flat is wide open for an easy pitch and catch. Identify the deep third or deep half safety rotation pre-snap, Cover 3 with a sky safety rotating over the trips side will make the intermediate sail route the toughest throw to complete. Key the middle linebacker depth at the snap, if he sits shallow to jump the shallow drag or flat route, throw the sail route over his head into the vacated zone. Look for a user controlled defender lurking underneath the trips concept, since Sail can get picked off if the quarterback throws the flat route into a jumped route by a spying linebacker. Recognize Cover 2 shells with the corner playing the flat, this forces the sail route to sit down in the seam between the corner and safety, making that intermediate throw the primary answer. Beware of Cover 1 robber concepts where a defender sits in the middle of the field, since the shallow crosser or flat route becomes a low percentage throw if that robber jumps the route.
Use Sail on second and long or third and medium when you need a defined high low read against zone coverage.
Check the safety alignment pre-snap, if you see two high safeties bail into a deep half shell, expect Cover 4 or Cover 2 and prioritize the intermediate sail route sitting in the honey hole.
If the corner over your trips number three receiver is playing off man, hot route the flat route into a quick out to beat press and get an easy completion versus Cover 1 or Cover 3.
Pair Sail with Mesh Dig or Four Verticals in the same play call sheet, since Sail punishes zone drops while Mesh Dig and Four Verticals punish man coverage, forcing the defense to guess pre-snap.
Against Cover 3, hit the deep clear out route only if the safety bites on the sail route, otherwise work the flat route quickly before the underneath zone defender can flow and close the window.
Motion the number three receiver pre-snap to confirm man versus zone, if the defender follows across the formation it is man coverage and you should shift your read to the flat and shallow drag.