How Quick Slants Attacks Coverages

What are the flat routes for?

Quick Slants runs four routes designed to get your playmakers from the outside into a cleared out middle of the field.  Although there are four routes, the play should almost never throw to the FB or TE going to the flats.  The play diagram in the game shows the strong side slant route run by the flanker as the primary route, but in reality both the split end and flanker slant routes are equally "primary."  The QB has to read the coverage and release at the line to choose which slant to throw, especially when the defense is in bump and run coverage to mess up the timing.

If we are never going to throw to the flat, why is it so important that we have those in the route package?  The reason is that the TE and FB are being used to clear out the middle portion of the underneath zones for the wide receivers to run into.  In man coverage, a linebacker or safety will take the TE and a linebacker will mark the FB - both of those players will run with their assignments to the outside and vacate the center of the field.  In zone coverage, the TE and FB running into the flats forces the defenders assigned the flat zones to commit to them, bringing them forward and away from where the slant routes are being run.

Against Man Coverage

In the picture below, we want the defenders in the yellow boxes to clear out the seam areas along the hashmarks for our slant routes to run into.  The MLB in the center will most likely either sit in a middle zone or blitz; either way, he is not going to be close enough to break up the two primary slant routes.

The two flat routes each peel off one defender - NC State is in man coverage with OLB on the FB and TE.  The SS and MLB playing the center of the field, with an alignment closer to the short side slant route.  The SS is in a good position to make a play if we try to throw to the flanker on the right side.  Instead, we look to the left where the MLB is too far away to provide inside help to the CB.

What you should see in the next step of the play is that the split end wide receiver on the left side will break to the inside behind the OLB and in front of the loose corner.  The FS remains high, providing over the top help against a deep pass.  But because the FS is near the hashmarks, the CB stays outside since his deep help is on the inside.

The above screenshot is taken just before the ball is thrown.  The SS drifts back to take away the right slant.  Over on the left side, the split end makes his break and is headed to open space - that's where we throw.  Note the WR makes the catch right near the hashmarks.

Against Zone Coverage

Here is a second example showing Northern Illinois in a 4-3 Eagle defense.  We want to pull those two outside linebackers away from the hashmark lines, and draw them outside with the flat routes.

After the snap, look at the outside linebackers.  The weak side OLB is backing away instead of moving up toward the HB.  On the strong side, the OLB is simply not moving, indicating he is settling into an underneath pass coverage zone.  So we know we are facing what looks like standard Cover 2 with no blitz.

The reason the SOLB does not need to move much is because he is on the short side of the field.  What's happening off camera is the cornerbacks are giving some initial challenge at the line, but will release to cover the flat zones - that's why the OLBs don't need to move up. 

Normally in man coverage, the cornerback would stay with his wideout and the linebacker would come up to fill the flat.  But this is a pure zone scheme; the wide receivers instead are allowed to run free and we have to time the throw to arrive as the receiver hits the seam between two zones so neither defender is near him.  On the break to the inside, the wide receiver will run straight through the OLB's zone - when do we throw the ball?

The next picture shows the throw - you can see the quarterback start his throwing motion.  Notice where the receiver is: he is about to pass right in front of the OLB.  The throw is being made in anticipation of the receiver running away from that defender into the hold in the coverage.  This is why throwing against zone changes the Quick Slants play from a read on which receiver has an inside release to a read on when the receivers will hit the seams between zones.

The purple dashed line shows a clear passing lane to a spot relatively equidistant from the three zone defenders.  Our threats to the outside spreads the defense allowing for open looks to the middle.

Does the defense really have to respect the flat routes?

Of course, the defense could choose not to respect the flats and hold some defenders in the middle to take away the slants.  We do not want to throw to the flats, but you must be prepared to recognize when that is what the defense is giving you.  If both slants are covered, it means one of the flats is probably open - and you must punish the defense for gambling like that.

Here is another game against NC State in which we find our slant routes taken away by man coverage to the inside.  The left flat is covered as well.  But look at the defender on the edge of the right side.

That edge defender is heading toward the flat with our HB at first, but then abruptly decides he has a clear line to the quarterback and goes for the sack. 

He has no help behind him to cover the HB spilling out into the right flat zone, so we make him pay.



Here is another play from the same game.  This time, the defense blitzes a linebacker (you can see him shooting the gap) and has nobody assigned to the flat.

Does the defense need to honor the flat routes?  The short answer is: Yes.