Play of the Day: Detroit Lions' "Chair" Route

I saw this play during the Lions-Cowboys playoff game during the 2014 season. This play takes advantage of a lose man coverage. The play is shown below:

The route combination benefits from max protection. The quarterback will need an extra few seconds for the chair route to develop. The outside receiver will run a skinny post route. This route will draw the attention of the single high safety, especially when it is run by Calvin Johnson. The chair route is run by the slot. The next figure was taken right after the slot made his out cut:

 The large cushion given by the man guarding the slot allows the slot to cross his face. This is what makes the play successful. If the slot was guarded in a press look, he would have little to no space to cross the defender’s face. This “chair” technique can be a good adjustment for a team that runs a lot of wheel-post combinations that see off coverage on the slot. Defenses like to play off coverage against a wheel, as it gives them a better chance of not letting the wheel get behind them.

The next figure shows the slot making his double move, crossing the defender’s face.

The final figure shows where the ball was caught.

If you run a lot of wheel-post, this adjustment can take advantage of what the defense thinks is a conservative coverage. Never settle, always look for a way to attack!