Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Drive TE Corner is a five man route concept out of Singleback Bunch Ace 12 personnel that stacks a deep corner route from the outside receiver over a drive/dig route crossing underneath from the bunch, with a shallow drag coming from the opposite side and a check release route out of the backfield. The corner route stretches the deep quarter while the drive route settles into the vacated middle zone, making this a clear Cover 4 beater that also holds up against man coverage thanks to the natural rub from the bunch alignment. Primary progression starts with the corner route against a single high safety or blown coverage, works down to the drive route sitting down in the honey hole, then checks to the underneath drag or backfield check release as an outlet.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and alignment over the bunch, a single high safety shaded away from the corner route is a green light for the quarterback to attack it immediately. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if the middle linebacker sinks late or gets caught reading the run action from the backfield, the drive route will sit down in soft grass every time. User the deep half or deep third defender manually in Cover 4 or Cover 2 looks since this concept is designed to isolate a single deep defender against the corner route. Zone defenses that get depth quickly and squeeze the middle of the field with a lurking linebacker can undercut both the drive route and the drag, forcing the quarterback to the check release outlet. Man coverage with a physical corner who can fight through the bunch rub and stay on top of the vertical release is the best answer to shut down the deep shot on this play.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the corner has a safety over the top before locking onto the deep route since Cover 4 and Cover 2 shells with soft corners are where this concept wins the most.
If you see man coverage across the bunch, trust the natural traffic and rub created by the stack to spring the drive route open underneath, this is your primary man beater answer.
Hot route the backfield check release into a flat or seam route against known blitz teams so you have a quick answer if the corner and drive routes are covered.
Use this play on second and long or third and medium situations where defenses are more likely to sit in zone shells expecting a shorter conversion route.
Pair this with Drive Y Trail and Z Spot from the same set so defenders keying the bunch alignment cannot jump the corner route without opening up easier completions underneath.
