Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Smash out of Singleback Y Trips 11 personnel gives you a true smash concept to the trips side and a corner route to the backside boundary. To the trips side, the inside slot runs a quick hitch while the outside receiver from the boundary side runs a corner route over top, creating the classic high low smash read on the corner and safety. On the backside, the isolated X runs a vertical corner route while the TE releases up the seam and bends outward, giving you a two man read against single high or man coverage on the weak side. This is a premier Cover 2 beater, and the primary read progression starts with the trips side smash combo before working back to the backside corner and seam if the defense rotates safety help toward the three receiver surface.
Defensive Reads
Presnap, check corner depth on the trips side, since a corner playing shallow or squatting on the flat is a sign of Cover 2 or Cover 3 and tells you the corner route will be open behind him. Watch the deep safeties before the snap, two high safeties confirm this is a strong Cover 2 beater matchup, while a single high safety means you should lean on the backside corner and TE seam combo instead. Postsnap, key the flat defender or user controlled corner on the trips side, if he sits on the hitch and does not carry the corner route vertically, the deep throw to the corner is there for a big gain. Look for user controlled safeties lurking over the trips side, since a smart user will shade toward the three receiver surface and leave the backside corner route or TE seam in a soft spot against single coverage. Beware of Cover 3 sky or match zone concepts with underneath robbers, since a linebacker or nickel defender sinking into the seam lane can jump the TE route and undercut the backside progression if you hold the ball too long.
Usage Tips
Presnap, identify whether the defense is showing two high safeties or has rotated to single high, since this play is built to stress the corner in Cover 2 by attacking the flat and deep quarter with the hitch and corner combo.
If you see Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells with the corner playing the hitch aggressively, throw the corner route immediately off the smash combo before the safety can rotate over.
Use the backside corner and TE seam combo as a hot route answer against man coverage or single high looks where the trips side is bracketed, since the TE seam can win against linebackers who lack the speed to stay over the top.
This play works best on second and medium to second and long, or third and short to medium, since the routes take a full three step drop and a beat to develop.
Pair Smash with quicker throws like Curls or Stick from the same Y Trips set to keep the defense honest against underneath zone drops, then come back to Smash once you see the defense sitting on shorter routes.
