The Arizona Cardinals used the “Shake” route to take a shot
down the field against the Detroit Lions. This play takes advantage of the safety
cheating the corner route. The shake route, run by the Z receiver, is the
primary receiver. If the defense is in a two-high safety look, the Z will take
a hard inside release to press the outside hip of the safety vertically. The
point of the catch should be the middle of the field. If the defense is in a
single-high safety, the Z will not take as hard of an inside release. This
ensures that the route will end up in the seam between the corner and the
safety.
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The next figure shows the releases of the wide receivers. It
is important that the Z receiver attacks far enough inside to create a two way
threat against the safety.
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The third figure shows the Z receiver after he has made his
outside cut. You can see that the safety has turned his hips to react to the
outside breaking cut. This is the quarterback’s indicator that the shake route
will be open. The Z receiver then makes his inside cut, crossing the safety’s
face. It is Important to have a vertical release on the other side of the field to keep the other safety occupied.
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The last figure shows when the ball should be arriving.
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This play should only be used sparingly, as its
effectiveness diminishes each time it is used. Having an arsenal of explosive
plays that can be used throughout a game is vital to the success of any team. This
play also breaks any route reading tendencies the defense may have been leaning
on.
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