Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Double Sluggo lines up in Singleback Ace 12 personnel with two receivers tight to the formation and an HB releasing into a shallow angle route out of the backfield. Both outside receivers run sluggo routes, a hard slant fake that breaks vertically upfield toward the sideline numbers, while the backfield route from the HB works underneath as a check-down option. This is a man beater built to attack aggressive corners who bite on the initial slant fake, and the primary read progression starts with whichever sluggo route the defense gives more cushion to before working back to the HB angle route as the safety valve.
Defensive Reads
Press man coverage on the outside corners is the biggest green light for this concept, especially if there is no safety help over the top. Watch for a single high safety shell presnap, if the safety is shaded toward one sluggo route, throw opposite to the other one-on-one matchup. Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells with two deep safeties are the counter to this play since they take away the vertical break on both sluggo routes. Post snap, key the flat defender or spy against the HB angle route, a user controlled defender sitting on that route removes your safety valve. Disguised zone blitzes that drop a corner into an underneath zone can jump the sluggo break early, so recognize any corner sinking instead of pressing at the snap.
Usage Tips
Presnap, look for corners playing tight man or press coverage since the slant fake is what creates the double move separation.
Motion the HB or use a hot route to adjust the angle route into a flat route if you see a linebacker sitting underneath in zone.
This play hits best on second and long or third and long when defenses expect a shorter route concept and get caught leaning on underneath zones.
Pair Double Sluggo with Quick Slants or Curl Flats in the same set to condition the defense to expect short throws before dialing this up for the double move.
Use play action counter concepts like PA Post Dig from this set on the following snap to keep second level defenders honest after hitting a big sluggo completion.
