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Quick Reference
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Breakdown
RPO Peek Slant is a run-pass option out of Shotgun Wing Stack Wk with 12 personnel. Pre-snap, the offense stacks two receivers to one side, with the outside receiver running a slant into the middle of the field while the stacked receiver clears out on a deep in-cut away from the play, and a shallow receiver runs a quick flat/drag underneath to hold second-level defenders. The offensive line executes an inside zone run scheme, giving the quarterback a true peek key read on the slant defender before deciding to hand off or pull and throw. This is a zone beater at its core, since the slant sits in the void behind flowing linebackers, though it also punishes man coverage if the corner sits outside on the slant route.
Defensive Reads
Watch the linebacker responsible for the underneath zone over the slant, if he crashes downhill on run action, the quarterback will pull and throw behind him. Check safety depth before the snap, a single high safety rotating down into the box signals man coverage on the outside, which opens the slant against off man technique. Identify if the defense is playing a Tampa 2 or match zone shell, since these coverages can sit a linebacker directly in the slant throwing lane and shut down the quick game answer. Look for a user controlled defender spying the slant lane immediately after the snap, this lurk technique is the primary counter to the peek read and forces the quarterback to trust the run. Against a nano blitz or overload pressure look, the run action can be neutralized quickly, so the quarterback must throw with anticipation before the pocket collapses.
Usage Tips
Presnap, identify whether the defense is showing a two high shell or a single high safety look, since RPO Peek Slant thrives against zone shells with linebackers biting on run action.
Key the flow of the second level defender aligned over the slant, if he steps up to fill the run gap, pull the ball and throw the slant immediately into the vacated window.
Use this play on early downs in normal down and distance situations to keep the defense honest, since the run action is legitimate and forces linebackers to respect the zone scheme.
Pair this with RPO Zone Peek and RPO Read Slant Bubble from the same set to keep defenders guessing between the peek slant read and bubble screen options, forcing conflict on the flat defender.
Against aggressive blitz shows, hot route the flat receiver into a quick option route to give the quarterback a faster answer if the slant window closes.
