I'm seeing these plays eat defenses up when executed properly by the offense, and I was thinking the other day that it used to be considered a gamble to run those routes. Partly I think it was due to the lower skill level of the quarterbacks and receivers at those short to medium middle of the field routes, and partly that the rules for the defense have changed so much. There's no longer going to be a safety or linebacker back there to spear or blindside drill that receiver coming across, so it has become a higher percentage throw.

All that said, how do you defend the middle routes effectively? All too often I see the defender trailing, barely in position to make a tackle after the catch at best. Nobody else is coming up because that likely safety is either top cover or on someone else or deeper in zone. It it just a matter of having a superb athlete in coverage on those routes, or trusting that the difficulty of hitting that moving receiver causes enough incompletions? Just curious what better football minds than mine think.

It all comes down to DL pressure. If you can get pressure with 4 guys and vary where the pressure is coming from an ILB or Safety is available to either intercept or make the WR pay for going across the middle. Think back when the Wrecking Crew was destroying both BYU and U of H spread offenses. DL gets pressure without having to blitz 7 guys playing pass coverage can cover the slant and the crossing routes.

There are plenty of zone schemes that can take away the slant. Usually, you have the DB or LB come underneath the route. The problem with doing it will the DB is that it can leave you vulnerable on the back end. Occasionally, you will even see an LB coming on an A-gap blitz to create pressure while a DE drops back into coverage. Though I think you see this more in the NFL than in college because you need a really athletic DE.

If you see a DB trailing it might just because he is conceding the short pass in favor of not giving up a deeper ball.

As with all of football it's just a big chess match.

Hit the receiver hard as he comes of the line of scrimmage and hope to disrupt the timing of the route. Of course if the db whiffs he is SOL.

Like someone said, giant chess match.

With slants and post routes up the middle they work for LSU because LSU
1) spreads the field effectively horizontally and can turn the corner when running the ball.
2) spreads the field vertically and forces you to have one or more safety coverage over the top for fear of getting beat deep.
3) has speedy and physical WR's that can run deep as well as get inside leverage.

In order to defend these routes a defense has to have physical corners that can play bump and run. slant and post routes are all about timing. a physical corner that forces a wr off the route path will cause the pass to miss its target.

DE and DT that can clog the passing lanes up the middle and throw their hands up to deflect passes and bat then down at the line of scrimmage.

LB's that can disguise coverage and drop back into passing lanes and get underneath quickly.

The defense that played LSU the best this year played mostly man and alot of bump and run which threw off the timing between burrow and his receivers and nudged them off their route path just enough to cause an incompletion.

Point being, and I've said this for years...

NoahAg said:

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Point being, and I've said this for years...

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EOT

MouthBQ98 said:

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I'm seeing these plays eat defenses up when executed properly by the offense, and I was thinking the other day that it used to be considered a gamble to run those routes. Partly I think it was due to the lower skill level of the quarterbacks and receivers at those short to medium middle of the field routes, and partly that the rules for the defense have changed so much. There's no longer going to be a safety or linebacker back there to spear or blindside drill that receiver coming across, so it has become a higher percentage throw.

All that said, how do you defend the middle routes effectively? All too often I see the defender trailing, barely in position to make a tackle after the catch at best. Nobody else is coming up because that likely safety is either top cover or on someone else or deeper in zone. It it just a matter of having a superb athlete in coverage on those routes, or trusting that the difficulty of hitting that moving receiver causes enough incompletions? Just curious what better football minds than mine think.

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This. I remember watching film back in '04-05 and seeing our WRs just get close-lined by LBs when trying to run across the middle. Afterwards they'd be scared and they'd shorten their routes or not go full speed through the middle. There was a time when you could just earhole someone and make them pay.

There's no more consequence for running these routes anymore, so offenses are going to run them. I don't think offenses have gotten THAT much better, it's more like defenses have been more handcuffed than ever before.

It wasn't such a sure thing when defenses could light up the receiver.

Michael Irvin made his money running slants because he was fearless and was willing to take contact. Now most anyone can run them because the defense is not allowed to defend the middle of the field with as much vigor. But it also comes down to QBs becoming more accurate and route trees being more complicated that help spring receivers into openings.

Coryatt hit that TCU guy on a slant

Mtn_Guide said:

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There are plenty of zone schemes that can take away the slant. Usually, you have the DB or LB come underneath the route. The problem with doing it will the DB is that it can leave you vulnerable on the back end. Occasionally, you will even see an LB coming on an A-gap blitz to create pressure while a DE drops back into coverage. Though I think you see this more in the NFL than in college because you need a really athletic DE.

If you see a DB trailing it might just because he is conceding the short pass in favor of not giving up a deeper ball.

As with all of football it's just a big chess match.

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This

The RPO, rubs/picks, and better quick reads.

The RPO really gets after the linebackers, they have to honor the play action when the line fires off the ball.

Rubs/picks tend to knock the DB off the route a lot more.

QBs have gotten really good at reading inside vs outside leverage from the DB in coverage.

I also suspect that offenses are a lot better at using the whole field now. A lot of QBs can hit the deep outs now, which keeps the safeties from sitting on crossing routes. Better form and coaching for QBs nowadays.

You can defend a slant unless the QB is Joe Montana and Wrs are Jerry Rice and John Taylor....

Sometimes you can drop a dline, normally a DE, and get a hand or hands on the ball.

It seems to be a modern problem. The pusific.... rule changes have made slants much easier to run without fear of bodily harm. I'd run them all day. It disheartens the DL trying to get to the QB, gains easy yards when successful, and set up the double move.

ccolley68 said:

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NoahAg said:

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Point being, and I've said this for years...

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EOT

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vander54 said:

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Mtn_Guide said:

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There are plenty of zone schemes that can take away the slant. Usually, you have the DB or LB come underneath the route. The problem with doing it will the DB is that it can leave you vulnerable on the back end. Occasionally, you will even see an LB coming on an A-gap blitz to create pressure while a DE drops back into coverage. Though I think you see this more in the NFL than in college because you need a really athletic DE.

If you see a DB trailing it might just because he is conceding the short pass in favor of not giving up a deeper ball.

As with all of football it's just a big chess match.

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This

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Football is not a chess match
Football is more about the Jimmy's & Joe's not X's & O's
Got to have the DL and physical corners to get it done. Hopefully the Ags will get more of these players soon.

crossing routes are the tried and true method for beating man-to-man coverage.

Mike Leach killed A&M for years with those routes.

have to leave 1 or 2 LB's in underneath zone coverage to stop them.

and when a defense has to use its LB's to rush the passer or spy on the quarterback...the crossing routes are even more damaging (to the defense) and effective (to the offense)