Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Slot Cross(1) out of Shotgun Y Off Trio Wk is a man beater built around a crossing route that works from the trio side back toward the weak side of the formation, creating natural rub traffic against man coverage. The TE and slot receiver work a cross combo underneath while the outside routes occupy the deep defenders, giving you a high low read on any hard flowing linebacker or nickel defender. Primary read progression starts with the crosser working across the field, then works to the underneath option if the crosser gets picked up by a trailing defender or lurking backer.
Defensive Reads
Read the middle linebacker depth at the snap since a shallow drop signals zone coverage and a tight crosser window, while an aggressive blitz look opens the crosser immediately. Watch for a user controlled defender sitting in the shallow zone or spying the crosser, since this is the primary counter to the route and forces you to check down early. Cover 2 with a hard flowing safety to the crosser side can undercut the route, so key the safety rotation before releasing your first read. Man coverage with no help over the top is where this play wins most often, especially if the linebacker covering the crosser gets picked or rubbed off the traffic. Watch for nano blitzes up the middle since the protection on this concept can be vulnerable to interior pressure if you hold the ball through your first read.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion to identify if the defense is playing man or zone before the snap, since the crosser is most effective against man coverage or when it can sit in a hole in zone. If you see Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells, hot route the crosser to sit down in the void behind the underneath linebackers instead of running full speed across the field. This play pairs well with Double Drags and DBL Ins in the same set since all three attack similar horizontal windows, forcing the defense to declare man or zone before you call it. Best called on second and medium to third and medium since the crosser needs time to develop and the sit route provides a safe checkdown against a blitz. Combine with Mtn PA Deep Over or Deep Over concepts on early downs to set up defenders biting on the shallow crosser before hitting them over the top later in the series.
