Playbooks
Slot Choice Smash out of Shotgun Wide 5wr pairs a smash concept to one side with a choice route from the slot, giving the quarterback a high low read on the boundary and a sight adjusted option route working underneath. This is a pass play designed to attack zone coverage, specifically Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells, by stretching the flat defender vertically with the corner route while the hitch or flat route sits underneath. The primary read progression starts with the smash side high low (corner over flat), then works back to the choice route in the slot which breaks based on leverage against man or zone defenders.
Pre-snap identify the safety alignment, two high safeties usually signal Cover 2 or Cover 4 which the smash concept is built to exploit with the corner route. Watch the slot cornerback or nickel defender's leverage on the choice route receiver, outside leverage means the route breaks in, inside leverage means it breaks out or vertical. Post-snap key the flat defender's depth, if he sinks too fast to take away the corner route the underneath flat route becomes wide open. Cover 3 with a hard charging cornerback can jump the flat route, so track the user controlled defender to see if he bails to the deep third or squats on the underneath route. Blitz packages that bring the slot defender on a nano blitz can leave the choice route uncovered, so recognize overloaded fronts and speed up the throw to the slot.
Use pre-snap motion on the choice route receiver to confirm man versus zone before the snap since the route conversion changes based on leverage.
This play shines on second and medium to second and long when defenses are more likely to sit in Cover 2 shells to prevent the deep ball.
If the corner route on the smash side is capped by a deep half safety, hot route the flat route receiver to sit down in the void for an easy checkdown.
Pair this play with Slot Screen or Fake Bubble Slant in the same set to keep linebackers honest and slow down their zone drops against the smash concept.
Against man coverage look immediately to the choice route since it is designed to break away from tight coverage, and use hard counts to bait linebackers into showing blitz before the snap.