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Quick Reference
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Breakdown
Mtn Double Slant is a play-action-free dropback pass out of Strong I Wing Close that puts two receivers on quick slant routes from the strong side while the backside X runs a deep slant into a corner/flag route up the sideline. The motion man out of the backfield releases into a wheel-style route from the flat, giving the quarterback a three-level stretch: shallow slant, intermediate slant, and deep wheel. This is a man beater built to attack the vacated space when defenders trail the crossing routes, with the primary read progression starting on the inside slant, working to the outside slant, and finally to the wheel route if the underneath windows are jumped.
Defensive Reads
Watch for Cover 1 or Cover 3 man match shells since the double slant combo is designed to sit defenders down and let the receivers separate underneath. If the strong side linebacker widens with the wing or Y receiver at the snap, expect an open throwing lane on the inside slant for an easy completion. Blitzing linebackers off the edge will not affect this play much since it is a quick-developing route combo, but a delayed blitz up the middle can collapse the pocket before the deep slant develops. Zone coverage with a hard-sinking flat defender can undercut the shallow slant, so check if the corner is sitting on the route before committing to that read. Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells with safeties over the top will limit the wheel route from the motion man, so be ready to check down to the underneath slants instead of forcing the deep shot.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify man coverage: if the defender covering the motion man follows him across the formation, you have a wheel route matchup you can exploit against a linebacker or nickel defender.
Key on the strong side linebacker depth before the snap. If he is sitting shallow to jump the slant, go to your outside slant read immediately for the throw over his head.
Hot route the backside slant into a fade or flag against teams that roll a single high safety to the strong side, since the boundary corner will be isolated.
This play pairs well with Mtn Power O and Mtn Power Shot from the same set since the run action off the same personnel and formation keeps linebackers honest and slows their slant jumps.
Best used on second or third and short to medium, where defenses often sit in man or match zone concepts that this slant combo is designed to defeat.
