Playbooks
Breakdown
WR In out of Weak I Slot Open shows a five man route concept built to flood the field and attack Cover 3 and man coverage. The backside X runs a deep vertical clearing the corner and safety, the slot receiver runs a deep in that crosses the middle of the field as the primary man beater, and the flanker at the top of the screen runs a quick out to stretch the sideline. The HB releases into a swing route out of the backfield to hold the underneath defenders and give the QB a checkdown against a blitz. Progression starts with the deep in over the middle, moves to the out breaking route, and finishes with the HB swing as the outlet.
Defensive Reads
Identify single high safety alignment pre-snap, this signals Cover 3 or Cover 1 and opens up the deep in route running behind the linebackers and in front of the deep third defender. Watch the slot cornerback at the snap, if he sinks with the in route in man coverage the crosser will win against most man beaters unless there is a underneath robber. Key the weak side linebacker depth, a shallow drop signals he may be sitting on the in route, use the out or HB swing instead. Look for a user controlled defender flying to the middle of the field, this lurk technique is designed to jump the deep in route and bait the QB into a turnover. Recognize Cover 2 shells with two deep safeties, this coverage compresses the throwing window on the in route and forces the QB to work the sideline out route or dump it to the HB.
Usage Tips
Use this play on second and medium to second and long when defenses are likely to sit in zone shells or press man coverage.
Check the middle of the field before the snap, if the safety rotates to single high expect Cover 3 or Cover 1 and lean on the deep in route.
If you see two high safeties, the out route to the flanker and the HB swing become your quicker options since the deep in may run into a robber defender.
Hot route the HB swing to a flat route or check release if you are facing heavy pressure looks, this gives extra protection while still keeping an outlet.
Pair this play with Curls or PA Boot Slide in your call sheet, since both attack similar zone landmarks and keep the defense guessing between play action and dropback concepts.
