Which Side of the Field Do You Read First?

[Kentaurus]

You read the intended spots first. Most plays are designed to attack specific spots or defenders, read that first.

For an easy example call a Flood vs C3 (very standard C3 beater, and tons of people still play C3 as their base defense).

Your reads in order are:

Pre-Snap:
Is there 1 high safety showing me C1/C3.
Is it press (can I win a deep route with no help over top?)
Are they blitzing?

Players to Identify (know ahead of time)
Who has flat responsibility (either the Safety if he is down in the box on that side, or the OLB/Nickel CB on the other side). This is our read player.

Post Snap:
Read that player is he:
A- Blitzing, hit your flat quickly, or aggressive play is lob to Streak
B- Soft Flat, take a second, then hit your Flat and turn upfield.
C- Hard Flat --- Is the out/corner getting covered tightly by an inside defender who drifted out?
Yes: You should have a backside In/Slant coming over the middle, or a HB checkdown over the middle. Throw to that.
No: Throw the out/corner.



TLDR: This is just a long full example, but you should have a specific player or spot you are attacking. Which should be your read.

[tg88forHOF]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kentaurus

You read the intended spots first. Most plays are designed to attack specific spots or defenders, read that first.

I don't know much that invalidates also having a natural tendency to read one side or route combo option first.

I mean, yes, you're right, most plays have a designed route concept, and that should be your first read. Not arguing that.

But most plays that aren't run out of a trips or bunch formation actually have more than 1 (3 receiver concepts like Floods are a good example of the exception)...either mirrored or 2 different concepts.

Curl Flats out of a Dice set...you have mirrored Curl Flats on each side, TE/WR on the strong side, SLWR/WR on the other. Which route combo do you naturally watch first?

There are textbook answers for that, too...which one is to the field side (giving the flat route more room to maneuver after the catch), and which one has the better matchup?

But even knowing that, we still have tendencies. Like I said above, my habit is to track to the TE first. So even after a pre-snap read and an informed decision, I bet you anything I'm going to read the strong side concept first unless I consciously remember not to.

[Mets_All_The_Way]

For me the first thing I do is look at how the defense line up and to see where the blitz/pressure is coming from then I make my adjustment accordingly to the defense. and then I look at my play and see how that match up with their defense and make any changes necessary. Also, my main target on the play is what side I will look at first but its also depend on the situation. Also if its a 3rd and short, I will look at my RB route first to see how that match up again their defense first since that will most likely be my primary target.