Playbooks
Breakdown
Air Raid Under out of Shotgun Trips is a vertical stretch concept built to attack both zone shells and man coverage. The lone receiver backside runs a skinny post/go up the sideline, while the trips side stacks a seam route from the slot up the numbers alongside an out route breaking hard to the sideline off the line, and the third trips receiver runs a quick flat/angle route underneath to hold the flat defender. The primary read progression starts with the backside go route against single high safeties, then works to the trips seam versus Cover 2 or Cover 3 where the safety has to widen, and finally checks down to the flat route as a hot beater against blitz.
Defensive Reads
Watch the safety alignment before the snap: two high safeties tipping Cover 2 or Cover 4 tells you the seam route is the primary target since the flat defender cannot cover both underneath and vertical. A single high safety in the middle of the field signals Cover 3 or Man Free, which opens the backside go route for a one on one shot against the corner. Post-snap, track the flat defender's drop: if he sinks with the out route, the seam is wide open behind him, but if he jumps the flat route and ignores the seam that's a sign of a zone blitz or Cover 2 hole defender rotating late. User controlled lurk defenders sitting in the middle of the field can jump the seam route, so if you see a defender hovering low in the throwing lane, come off that read and go to the flat route instead. This concept struggles against disciplined Cover 4 shells where both safeties stay deep and match the vertical routes, and it can get exposed by a well timed nano blitz if the flat route isn't checked quickly enough.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing two high safeties or a single high shell because this concept is designed to punish both looks differently. Against Cover 2, key the flat defender: if he sits on the underneath out route the seam window opens up big for an explosive gain. Against Cover 3, the backside go route can win one on one if the corner presses or the safety rotates late to the trips side. Use this play on early downs or third and medium when you have time to let the seam and go routes develop downfield. Pair this with Four Verticals or RNS Streak X Shallow earlier in the drive so the defense respects the vertical shell, then dial up Air Raid Under to hit the seam window once safeties start cheating toward the trips side. If the defense shows heavy pressure looks, have the flat route ready as a built in answer instead of forcing the deep shots.
