Playbooks
China Special
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
China Special out of Strong I Slot is a play-action flood concept built to overload one side of the field with three vertical stem routes stacked at different depths. Off the play fake, the outside receiver runs a deep corner route while the slot receiver clears out on a go route, and the inbetween route breaks into a shallow out at the numbers. On the backside, the tight end runs a seam read while a flat route from the backfield underneath rounds out the concept. This is a Cover 3 and Cover 2 beater designed to flood one third or half of the field, with the primary read progression going from the deep corner route to the underneath out, then working back to the seam if the flood side is capped.
Defensive Reads
Read the free safety pre-snap, if he is shaded to the flood side expect a Cover 2 or Cover 4 rotation trying to take away the corner route. Watch the cornerback's press alignment, if he is playing off you likely have Cover 3 or Cover 4 zone underneath that the out route can settle in front of. Post-snap, key the flat defender or linebacker responsible for the underneath out, if he sinks too deep the out route will be wide open at the sticks. Identify any user controlled defender lurking in the shallow zone since they can jump the out route and bait a turnover if the quarterback stares it down. Watch for a blitz off the edge to the flood side, since the play action fake can be exploited by a fast pass rush if the offensive line does not pick up the extra rusher.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion or a hard count to bait the safety before the snap so you can identify if it is a two high or single high shell.
Against Cover 3, target the flat to out combo since the corner route occupies the deep third defender and opens the sideline.
Against Cover 2, throw the corner route immediately since it sits in the void between the cornerback and safety before the safety can rotate over.
Hot route the underneath out into a quick option or drag if you are facing man coverage with no help over the top, since it gives you a rhythm throw versus blitz looks.
Pair this play with Curl Flat or Double Slant in your play calling sequence to keep the defense guessing between deep flood shots and quick underneath rhythm throws.
