Mesh
What it is
Two shallow crossing routes that pass within inches of each other, with a sit route or corner behind them.
Why it matters
Mesh is an anti-man concept that also beats zone by accident: against man the crossers create legal traffic that defenders must run through, and against zone one of them simply sits down in the first open window. Its durability comes from having an answer built in either way — the quarterback reads the coverage rather than a specific defender.
Both sides of it
Running it
Two receivers run shallow crosses at about three yards, passing close enough to brush shoulders — the mesh must be tight or it creates no traffic. Against zone both convert to a sit in the first open window; against man they keep running. A corner or dig route works behind them and a back releases to the flat.
Stopping it
Wall the crossers rather than chasing them. Against zone, an underneath defender who collisions the shallow at the line has broken the concept, because a late crosser arrives with the window closed. Against man, defenders must communicate a switch or go under the traffic — chasing over the top is how the rub becomes a completion.
Also called
Programs call this mesh, shallow cross, rub or mesh point. The Coach answers to any of them.
Related
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