slide route

Coach Wagner: These are the reads I have always used for Slide, taken originally from Al Black, and through him (I'm pretty sure) from Mouse Davis.

Cover 2: The playside corner becomes the read -- if he sits in the flat, the SE gets the ball; if he closes inside or drops, the motion slot catches the ball in stride from his "fishhook" route and heads downfield. The playside SE and slot keep the hash safeties busy, isolating the PCB with all kinds of room to run to on either side of him.

Cover 1 and C2/Man: The motion slot will call out “Man! Man!” as he observes the defensive reaction to his motion, then cut up behind the playside SE in a Wheel route as he tries to rub off one of the defenders. The playside SE cuts short the slant leg of his route and turns on the afterburners. The playside slot is the receiver of choice as he cuts opposite his man at about +8 yards (almost always to the outside). QB should read the rub first for a quick throw, then look for the playside slot breaking away from his man.

Cover 4/Quarters: The method of attack depends on how they react to Trips. Do they cross-key with the backside safety? If he locks on the playside slot, he takes himself out of the play. Do they stick with the basics and have the backside safety double #1 backside? Even better -- he’s out of the ballpark. Do they widen the Spread-side flat defender with the motion slot as he comes across? They’re asking us to throw a quick dump to the playside slot for 5-7 yards a pop, or we can run Go and stick them for 10+ yards per by cutting the playside slot’s Shoot route back inside the flat coverage when he sees the QB pump-fake.

Regards,

Ted Seay
Suva, Fiji Islands

Wild Bunch/2LD Football Forum