Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Slot Corner out of Shotgun Trips 10 personnel sends both outside trips receivers vertical on go routes to stretch the deep coverage, while the inside slot receiver runs a corner route breaking outside and upfield to attack the void between the outside go and the flat. The nearest backfield receiver releases on a flat route to underneath, giving a natural high low read to the sideline. This is a man beater and zone beater hybrid built around the corner route sitting behind flat defenders and in front of deep corners, with the primary read progression starting on the slot corner route, then working to the outside go if the corner route is taken away, and finally checking down to the flat route underneath.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and alignment, a single high safety cheating to one side of the field tells you which way the corner route concept will be most vulnerable. Post-snap, watch the flat defender's initial drop, if he widens too fast to take away the flat route he opens the window for the corner route behind him. User controlled defenders sitting in a lurk technique underneath the slot corner route are the biggest threat to this concept, so recognize when the user jumps the route and be ready to work back to the outside go route. Cover 2 with aggressive corners jamming the outside go routes can disrupt the vertical stretch, forcing the quarterback to rely on the corner route or flat route earlier in the progression. Blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge can be neutralized by getting the ball out quickly to the flat route, since the deeper corner and go routes take longer to develop.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing two high shells or single high because the corner route thrives against single high man coverage where the safety cannot get over the top in time.
Use the flat route as your checkdown against blitz heavy fronts since it releases quickly and gives you a built in answer to pressure without needing a hot route.
Against zone shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4, key the corner defender in the flat, if he sinks with the go route the corner route will sit in the window behind him for an easy pitch and catch.
Pair this play with Four Verticals or 60 Go from this same set so the defense has to respect the deep shots every snap, then come back to Slot Corner to punish defenders who start jumping the underneath routes.
Best used on second and medium or third and long situations where you need a chunk gain and defenders are more likely to sit in zone drops rather than press man.
