What is the best play against a blitz in flag football?
Run Slant-Flat and throw it before the rusher gets there. One receiver breaks inside at three yards while another runs out to the flat underneath him, so a single defender has to cover two routes going opposite directions. Against a blitz in flag football the answer is never a better route, it is a faster one: the ball has to be gone on the quarterback's third step.
Three answers, in the order to try them
- Start here
Slant-Flat
One breaks in, one breaks out, both inside three yards.
The rush is only a problem while you are holding the ball. Slant-flat gives the quarterback two receivers breaking in opposite directions before the rusher arrives, so the read is made pre-snap and the throw is on rhythm. The most reliable answer to pressure at any age.
- If the rush is coming clean
Bubble
The ball is out before the rusher is past the line.
When the rush is getting home regardless, stop trying to beat it and remove it from the play. The receiver steps back behind the line and catches it immediately with the field in front of him, which turns a pass rush into a run defence problem instead.
- If they take the quick outside away
Stick
A fixed spot to throw to, on the third step.
A defense that widens to kill the flat routes leaves the inside open. Stick puts a receiver sitting at three yards with a route breaking away from him, so the quarterback throws to a spot on a count rather than waiting for anybody to come open.
Why it works
A blitz buys you a defender, not just pressure
Every player who rushes is a player not covering. Blitzing in a five-player defense means one fewer body in coverage, and this concept aims two receivers at whoever is left.
Opposite breaks cannot both be covered
One route goes in, the other goes out, and they cross the same defender's face at the same depth. There is no leverage he can take that is right for both.
It is a rhythm throw
The quarterback knows where he is going before the snap. He is not surveying the field under pressure, he is confirming one read and letting go.
How to run it
- 1
Identify the rush before the snap
Count the defenders on the line. If more than one is showing rush, the blitz answer is already the call and the quarterback should know it in the huddle.
- 2
Z slants inside at three yards
Three hard steps and break in at forty-five degrees. He should be looking for the ball the instant he turns his head.
- 3
Y runs out to the flat
Immediate release toward the sideline, staying flat rather than gaining depth. His job is to pull the defender away from the slant.
- 4
The back swings opposite
He releases to the other side as a second outlet, which also gives the quarterback somewhere to go if the rush comes clean from that edge.
- 5
Throw on the third step
Set the clock, not the read. If the quarterback is still holding the ball on his fifth step against a blitz, the play has already failed regardless of who is open.
Adjustments
If they rush two
Keep the concept but add a go route on the backside. Two rushers means two coverage defenders for three receivers, and somebody deep is running free.
If the flat defender sits on the flat
Convert the slant into a slant-and-go. He is cheating on a three-yard route, which means there is nothing behind him.
For younger teams
Drop the slant and run both receivers to the flat on either side. Two easy outlets beats one good read when the quarterback is seven.
Against a delayed rush
Add a pump fake on the first step. A rusher who is counting will commit early, and the slant turns into a much bigger gain.
When not to call it
When they are not actually blitzing
Against a standard rush with everybody else in coverage, this is a three-yard play with three-yard results. Save it for the down where the pressure is real.
Backed up near your own goal line
A slant breaking toward the middle of the field is the one throw you do not want intercepted deep in your own end. Run something toward the sideline instead.
Take it to your team
Draw your plays in the free flag football play designer, collect them in the football playbook maker, and print football play cards so every player knows them come Saturday.
Open Slant-Flat in the designer
Load the concept, fit it to your personnel, and save it as your blitz answer.
Open this playRelated questions
How do you know a blitz is coming in flag football?
How many steps should a flag football quarterback take?
What is a hot route in flag football?
Should you block the rusher in flag football?
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Coach Ray Carroll
Coaches 5v5 flag football from kindergarten through 7th grade in San Mateo and San Carlos, California, and built RC Football to design, teach and print the plays his own teams run.