TE Cross, and the Importance of a Fast Slot Receiver

I was excited to read a response from a Stanford student who mentioned plays where two eligible receivers cross on drag routes typically work.  I decided to peruse the playbook of certain teams until I found a play where this could work.  I tried the play TE Cross, where the quarterback lines up under center, with two receivers on each side of the ball and a tight end on the right side of the line and an empty backfield.  The play can be found under Ace Empty formation.  

The Stanford student claimed that the left slot receiver (running a drag to the right) and the tight end (running a drag to the left) would cross and one of them would be open guaranteed - if the defense was in a zone, a gain of 4 to 5 yards would ensue if the correct target was chosen, and if the defense was in a man-to-man, the slot receiver could easily gain a first down.  I decided to test this theory.  Running the play with the Dolphins, I could not seem to get the play to work every time.  When the defense was in man, Camarillo the receiver and Fasano the tight end never could break away.  So I switched teams to the Vikings, with Harvin and Shiancoe at those positions.  Once I did this, I realized that as long as your players have speed, the play will work almost flawlessly, but they need that speed to separate from defenders.  Harvin was a 98 speed (one of the highest on the game) and Shiancoe an 80 (good for a tight end).  Camarillo was only an 83 speed (poor for a receiver, though upon checking he does have good hands and catch ability) and Fasano was a 72 speed (subpar).

In conclusion, the Stanford student was correct that a play like this works almost every time, as long as the players crossing have good speed.  If not, and the defense is in a man, you are liable to throw an interception if you do not lead the receiver perfectly with the throw.