Levels· 11v11 Tackle

Name: XO Gridmaker
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intermediateaka Levels Concept

Two inside-breakers at two levels — low In (6-8) + high Dig (12-14).

The design

How Levels works

Two crossing in-breaking routes at TWO LEVELS — low In at 6-8 yds and high Dig at 12-14 yds, both breaking inside on the same side.
High-low stretches the underneath LB.
LB sinks under the dig = throw the low In; LB drives short = throw the dig.
Indianapolis Colts (Manning era) staple.

Coach the details

Call sheet

Defensive lookManning-era staple vs man and zone-match.
Game planHigh-low at two depths puts the corner in a bind on the deep side.
Game planRead the conflict linebacker low-to-high: if he expands or drives the low In, throw the Dig behind him; if he gains depth, take the low route.
Defensive lookVs man, use motion or reduced splits to create separation.
Money downsSet the low break at the sticks on 3rd down and preserve at least four yards between the two levels.

Pre-snap to post-snap

High-low at two depths puts the corner in a bind on the deep side.
Read the conflict linebacker low-to-high: if he expands or drives the low In, throw the Dig behind him; if he gains depth, take the low route.

Cover 0: Anything that develops slowly — pressure gets home first Better answers: Four Verticals, Mesh, Slant-Flat, Smash
Cover 2: The flats — the corner squats and jumps anything quick outside Better answers: Smash, Four Verticals, Flood
Tampa 2: The deep middle — the Mike runs it, so a straight seam is contested (unlike base Cover 2) Better answers: Smash, Flood
Cover 3: Deep outside — the three-deep shell caps outside verticals Better answers: Curl-Flat, Slant-Flat, Smash, Flood, Four Verticals, Snag, Dagger, Stick
Cover 4: Deep shots — four deep defenders make it very hard to win over the top Better answers: Stick, Snag, Slant-Flat, Curl-Flat, Mesh

Troubleshooting

Avoid it when an underneath robber is waiting inside and a deep safety is driving the dig from above, or when edge pressure will not allow the deeper level to develop.
Both routes break into the middle, so do not call it into a compressed interior without an outside clear or check-down.
Routes flatten out instead of staying vertical at their landmark before the in-cut.
QB throws the high read first; should read low-to-high — high In is the safety-valve.
Both routes break at the same yardage; the depth differential is the entire point.