Understanding Coverage Leverage in the Slot Choice

By Mike Kuchar with Zach Riepma
Offensive Coordinator/QB’s
Alma College (MI)
@z_rieps

The staff at Alma College uses animal names as the nomenclature for its choice menu. While the outside choice is code-named “Horse,” because of the “O” in the term, the inside choice is termed “Hippo,” because of the “I” in the name. But the difference is when the outside choice route is called, that receiver is primarily the target. When the inside choice is called, the quarterbacks works from slot to the outside on his read. “We teach the quarterback that if you hold on the inside choice and it’s not there you can come off to the outside route,” he said. “We’re calling this not to run stop routes, but to generate explosive plays.”

Outside Receiver Rules:

On the inside choice, the outside receiver is taught to run a form of a “spray” route, which tells him to widen his release and run either a hitch or stop. The entire purpose of the route is to generate space for the inside choice. The hitch footwork is traditionally three big steps, two little steps and settle and wait but the coaching point is to never get in the way of the choice route. “We tell him not to be in the progression read of the quarterback,” he said. “He needs to occupy the corner at all times. Essentially it turns into a smash if the slot works vertical or a levels concept if he works the stop route.”

Inside Receiver Rules:

Alma is an eleven-personnel outfit, so most times they throw the choice from 2x1 formation settings. But when they align in trips, the innermost receiver is taught to run “bury” routes which are in-breaking digs, hooks and curls just to get covered by the far safety in two-high structures. “We want to magnetize our choice tag,” said Coach Riepma. “We talk about clearing the inside receiver to get explosives to the tagged choice route.”