Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Y Shallow Cross out of Singleback Ace 12 personnel gives you a true shallow crosser working from the strong side all the way across the field underneath a dig route sitting behind it, with both outside receivers stretching the defense vertically. The X receiver on the left runs a quick out and up while the far right receiver takes a deep angled route to clear space, and the drag man man across the formation is your primary read against man coverage since it forces linebackers to run with him through traffic. Against zone, work the shallow into the dig sitting down in the vacated middle void, making this a true man beater with built in zone answers on the same concept.
Defensive Reads
Read the linebacker depth pre-snap since shallow zone droppers or spy defenders sitting under five yards will jump the crosser and blow up your first read. Watch for a user controlled defender flowing with the shallow route, that lurk threat is the biggest danger to this concept and means you need to progress immediately to the dig or the deep comeback. Man coverage with no safety help over the top is where this play thrives, since the shallow crosser creates natural traffic and separation against trailing defenders. Cover 3 and Cover 4 zone shells with linebackers sinking into passing lanes can clog the shallow and dig combo, so look to attack the vertical routes on the outside against those shells instead. Blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge are answered well here since the shallow route gets the ball out fast, but a delayed blitz or a spy sitting in the shallow crosser's lane can disrupt your first read timing.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing man or zone by checking linebacker depth and whether the strong side corner is playing off or pressed. If you see man coverage, snap to the shallow crosser immediately since he will pick up natural rub separation working across the formation. Against zone shells with linebackers sitting in underneath windows, hold the ball a beat longer and hit the dig route settling behind the shallow for a bigger chunk gain. This play works best on second and medium to third and short since the shallow route develops quickly and gives you a high floor completion. Pair this with PA Post Cross Shot or PA Boot Roll in the same set to keep defenses honest on run fits before coming back to this quick hitting crosser. Use hot routes to convert the deep outside route into a comeback if you are getting a lot of press man from the corner on that side.
