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Quick Reference
Not in any team playbook.
Breakdown
Wheel Mesh out of Shotgun Y Off Trips Close is a man beater built off a mesh concept from the trips side, with the two inside receivers crossing underneath while the backside X runs a wheel from a tight alignment to attack the flat and up the sideline. The trips number three receiver runs a corner/wheel to the flag while the two crossing routes settle into shallow drags that pick off man defenders, and the lone receiver on the backside runs a vertical seam to hold the safety. The primary read starts with the mesh crossers underneath against man coverage, then progresses to the backside wheel route if a linebacker or safety bites down and leaves the sideline open.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap identify if the defense is in man coverage by checking corner alignment on the trips side, tight press alignment signals man and sets up the mesh crossers to win. Watch the linebacker depth over the middle, if he sits shallow and reads the mesh crossers immediately, look to the wheel route breaking outside for the bigger play. Key the safety over the backside X, if he stays deep and outside the wheel is well covered, but if he flows toward the trips side pre-snap the wheel is uncontested up the sideline. Zone coverage with underneath defenders sitting in hook zones can clog the mesh crossers, so if you see zone drop shells post-snap be ready to work the wheel or vertical seam instead. User-controlled lurk defenders sitting in the middle of the field are the biggest threat to the mesh crossers, so check for a defender staying home in the shallow zone before committing to that read.
Usage Tips
Use this play on third and medium to third and long when you expect man coverage across the board, since the mesh crossers are designed to rub off defenders in man.
Pre-snap, check the alignment of the slot corner and the linebacker over the trips side, if they are showing man press or tight bump alignment the mesh crossers will win almost automatically.
If the defense shows two deep safeties with soft corners, hot route the backside X into a quicker breaking route or check down to the crosser, since the wheel needs single high or man coverage to fully hit.
Pair this play with Pats Drag Wheel and Y-Option Wheel from the same set to keep defenses guessing on which receiver is running the wheel concept.
Against aggressive blitz teams, use the mesh crossers as a quick answer since the shallow crossing routes clear out underneath before pressure arrives.
