It is a little different from the TE Post play we are running, but it shares many of the same elements. First, there is a Slot Corner route paired with a deep Post route (this time run by the Flanker) attacking the middle of the field. Also, there is a shallow crosser coming across the middle: in our play it is the Split End but here it is the Tight End. So we have a Slot Corner, a deep Post, and a shallow crosser. These are the same elements that will come into play for us. Here's why Chris Brown likes the Penn State play:
One reason this play is useful, however, is because it does more than attack this zone aspect. Again man-to-man coverage the corner route is a very good option — so long as the throw is precise and the route is good. One reason for this is because many defenses who play man coverage use inside leverage to take away the quick slant passes that can gash them for big plays and are easy throws.
Moreover, many man defenses use a deep free-safety or an inside “floater” or “robber” player whose job is simply to read the quarterback’s eyes. The advantage of the corner route is that the throw is away from all these inside defenders who can gum up a normal “who has beaten his man” read.
Finally, the fact that it is the inside receiver rather than the outside one who runs the corner route can get the offense some favorable matchups: Most defenses put their cornerbacks in man coverage on the outside receivers; the inside receivers are thus often guarded by safeties or linebackers or substitute “nickel back” players.
All of these advantages were on display in Penn State’s game against Michigan, as the Nittany Lions scored on the same smash concept from the same formation against the same coverage (indeed, same receiver) twice.
Brown links a video from mgoblog that shows Penn State running the play twice for touchdowns, but that video no longer exists due to copyright infringement warnings. Thankfully, there is an alternative.
The first example shows Penn State inside the ten yard line throwing it with the Slot Corner to the left. Michigan plays man coverage, and both the Post and Corner break to the quarterback's left of the defender. QB Daryll Clark throws to the outside where only WR Graham Zug can get it.
In the second touchdown play, the play is mirrored with the Corner route on the right. Again Michigan plays man coverage and Clark throws to the outside of Zug for the score. Notice the Post is covered well and the Corner defender is also to the inside because they have no inside help. This is what makes the Corner the better route: there's nobody in the middle of the field, so Michigan's defensive backs must play inside leverage.
Back in 2006, Brown posted an interesting breakdown of option route plays that included this one run by Bobby Petrino while he was at Louisville:
Notice the option on the right side can either break to the middle against MOFO (Middle of the Field Open - no defender in high centerfield) or to the outside against MOFC (Middle of the Field Closed). When the option route is run to the inside, we have a combination that looks a lot like the Slot Corner on the left side and a deep Post on the right similar to our play. Here's what Brown says about this read:
Against MOFO, the QB looks (1) to the deep post route, (2) to the corner route, and (3) to the flat (sometimes it is a hitch route). This is a basic hi/lo read, and he should be able to hit the post or the corner route for a significant gain.Now go back to what he said in the 2009 post:
Moreover, many man defenses use a deep free-safety or an inside “floater” or “robber” player whose job is simply to read the quarterback’s eyes. The advantage of the corner route is that the throw is away from all these inside defenders who can gum up a normal “who has beaten his man” read.We can take his 2006 read sequence and use the Corner route to keep the simple "who has beaten his man" read. Post to Corner to the shallow crosser, our play becomes the same hi-lo read. Best of all, the primary read to the Tight End's Post route puts our eyes in the middle of the field, which is the same place we want them against zone. This means we can read the play a single way and adjust where we want to go with the ball the same way every time at the snap.
TE Read: Empty Middle
The easiest thing to throw against will be a situation where an inside blitz or defense heavily overloading the weak side leaves nobody in the lane between the Tight End and the Quarterback. As soon as that lane opens up, the throw is very obvious since we are staring at the empty patch of turf where a linebacker was supposed to be. See the first and fourth plays in the video below.
The TE can even be "covered" and still have an open lane to receive the pass if the guy assigned to him in man coverage is lined up wide in the formation. If their man is wide to the outside and the TE cuts to the inside, our guy is cutting away from the coverage and putting a body between the ball and the defender. This can be seen in the second and third plays in the video.
This is the positioning in the second play; we make the throw as the TE breaks for an easy completion.
Slot Read: Covered Middle
The defense can leave people in the middle of the field (as in a Cover 1 Robber scheme) or blitz from the weakside, potentially positioning a LB directly over or inside the TE. Against such an alignment, we typically have a deeper cover man over the top of the slot receiver. That gives the slot man space to break in front of his man just like a corner route would break in Smash against the deep safety. Since this is a read against man coverage with at most one safety playing deep centerfield, the deep cover man over the slot may as well actually be a deep zone player because they have no help behind them.
Here is the first of the plays, which has the Falcons sending everybody on seven man pressure:
Look at the alignment carefully. The safeties are shifted over to the strongside as run support because the blitz is coming from the weakside. Running the ball weakside goes right into the path of oncoming blitzers, so there's less of a need for run support there. This puts the safeties in better position to cover the TE Post, but in a poor position against the Slot Corner:
Next we have the Falcons rotated over with a safety up at the line. This is an overload blitz on the frontside of the formation:
Here, the rotation of the underneath defenders moves linebackers into position against the TE Post, but leaves nothing on the edge against the Slot Corner.
The third play in the video clip looks like the same defense with the weakside linebacker staying home a little longer. Eventually he has to come off the Slot WR's stem to cover the Split End crossing in front of him, and we have the same result: easy completion in front of the deep safety.
This is the same thing against a zero blitz from the Browns:
Last Resort: Throw the SE Cross
It is possible for the defense to have both the TE Post and Slot Corner routes covered in man coverage if they have great safeties and linebackers. In the unlikely event that neither route is open, we can look at the crosser and see if he is beating his man across the field. If the Split End WR on the left has much better acceleration than the CB in front of him, he will be able to get separation (especially if the CB lines up back from the line of scrimmage instead of in press coverage position).
The other thing that can sometimes open up the crossing route against man coverage is a lucky rub. Watch the CB get picked by his own man coming across the field:
