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Quick Reference
Not in any team playbook.
Breakdown
Mesh Y Out is a classic man beater built off Shotgun Y Off Trips Close. The trips side runs a mesh combo underneath with two crossers rubbing shoulders across the middle while the outside receiver from the trips bends a deep corner route up the sideline. On the backside, the isolated X runs a vertical seam straight up the boundary, and the mesh routes create traffic that forces defenders to fight through picks or lose contact in man coverage. The primary read is the shallow mesh crosser first since he settles into the flat off the pick, then work to the deep corner route if the mesh is jumped, with the backside vertical seam as a shot-play answer against single coverage.
Defensive Reads
Watch for a single high safety pre-snap, that usually signals man coverage underneath which is exactly what this mesh concept is designed to exploit. If you see two deep safeties with corners playing off, the shallow mesh crossers will still get open against soft zone but the deep corner route becomes less of a threat. Post-snap, key the flat defender or a user controlled linebacker sitting in the shallow zone, if he stays home and does not bite on the mesh action it can clog the shallow crossers. Look for a lurking safety or nickel defender crashing down late, this is the biggest threat to the mesh crossers since it can jump the rub route for a big hit or interception. Man coverage with inside leverage on the trips corner route defender is the toughest matchup, if that corner sits on top of the route the deep shot is taken away and you must live underneath.
Usage Tips
Call this play when you diagnose man coverage pre-snap since the mesh concept is designed to rub defenders off each other and create natural separation.
Check the flat and hook defenders before the snap, if you see a linebacker sitting low in the middle of the field this concept can still work but you need to speed up your mesh read.
Use motion or a quick glance at the safety alignment to confirm if it is single high or two high, single high shells with man underneath are where this play shines the most.
Hot route the backside seam runner into a slant if you are getting a hard squeeze from the corner, this keeps the ball out quicker on third and medium situations.
Pair this play with Pats Cross or Jets Curl from the same set so you can run mirrored mesh and cross concepts back to back, keeping the defense guessing on which crosser is the true first read.
