Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Corner Strike is a trips weak concept out of Shotgun Y Off Trio Wk that isolates a single receiver on the backside against a five man route combo to the trips side. The backside X runs a deep comeback while the trips receivers stack a corner route from the slot, a deep out breaker from the outside, and an underneath crosser working from the inside receiver back to the flat, creating a natural high low stretch on any defender working the boundary. This is a man beater built around the corner route winning outside leverage, with the deep comeback on the backside serving as the answer versus off coverage or if the corner route gets bracketed. Primary progression starts with the corner route out of the slot, then works to the comeback on the backside if the corner is taken away.
Defensive Reads
Pre snap, identify whether the defense is showing man or zone based on cornerback depth on the trips side. Tight press with no help over top signals man coverage that the corner route can exploit. Watch the safety rotation after the snap. If the safety rotates to the trips side to help on the corner route, that opens the backside comeback for an easy completion against single coverage. Key the underneath linebackers and their drop depth. If they sink hard to take away the crosser, that confirms zone and tells you to work the corner route or comeback since the shallow route is covered. User controlled defenders sitting in a lurk position over the crosser or shallow flat route are the biggest threat to this concept, since they can jump the underneath read and bait a turnover. Against Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells, the corner route has to fit between the deep third or quarter defender and the underneath zone defender, so a late developing blitz that delays those drops can spring the corner route wide open.
Usage Tips
Use this on second and long or third and medium when you need a chunk play against man coverage since the corner route wins on timing versus press or trail technique.
Check the cornerback alignment before the snap. If you see a corner sitting hard outside on the trips side with no safety help over the top, throw the corner route with anticipation before he can undercut it.
Hot route the shallow crosser into a spot route if you are facing zone heavy defenses so it settles in the void between the linebackers instead of running through traffic.
Pair this play with Slot Cross or Quick Unders from the same set so the defense sees similar formation and route stems, then hit them with the deep comeback on the backside once they start jumping the underneath routes.
Avoid calling this into two high safety shells unless you plan to work the backside comeback first, since the corner route can get squeezed by a deep half defender rotating over.
