Playbooks

Team Playbook

NFL Live Colts Offense

TeamOffense

View the Indianapolis Colts Team Hub

7Formations

40Sets

594Plays

Overview

NFL Live Colts Offense is effectively the same playbook as Colts Offense. The two cuts share all 594 of this book's plays and differ by zero sets, so every formation, concept and audible you build in one carries over to the other without changes. Pick whichever sheet you have access to; there is no schematic reason to prefer one.

The identity of NFL Live Colts Offense is Shotgun. 393 of its 594 plays (66%) come from Shotgun across 23 of its 40 sets, which gives you a deep bench of spread looks for Drag, Crosser, Slant, Hitch, Spot and Post combinations along with dedicated Cover 3 Beater concepts. Singleback (75 plays, 13%) and Pistol (63 plays, 11%) form a secondary layer for play action and downhill runs such as 26 Duo, while I Form (27 plays), Strong I (21 plays) and Goal Line Offense (12 plays) are thin, situational packages for short yardage and the red zone. The book is mid sized, larger than only 38% of the game's 64 offensive team playbooks, so it trades raw volume for a concentrated Shotgun core.

The game plan it supports is a quick game passing attack out of the gun, stretched with motion and Block and Release concepts, then punctuated by play action from Singleback and Pistol once the defense commits to stopping the short throws. Seven personnel groupings, from 10 personnel four wide to 23 personnel with three tight ends and no receivers, let you change the matchup problem without leaving the playbook, but the heavy groupings are there to finish drives, not to carry the offense.

Scheme Fit

NFL Live Colts Offense wants an accurate, quick release quarterback with good short and medium throwing ratings, route running slot receivers who win on Drags, Crossers and Slants, and a receiving back or tight end who can threaten the flat off Block and Release concepts. A solid interior line and a physical back help the Pistol and Singleback run game stay honest, but the book does not need a mauling fullback because heavy formations are only a small slice of the call sheet. It fits players who prefer a spread, rhythm passing attack with occasional play action shots over a ground and pound identity.

Example Plays from this Playbook

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Strengths

Shotgun depth is the headline: 23 sets and 393 plays mean you can run the same Drag, Slant or Crosser concept from multiple alignments and personnel groups, which makes your tendencies much harder for an opponent to key on than in a book with only a handful of gun sets.
The Cover 3 Beater tag plus Post, Spot and Hitch concepts gives you built in answers to the most common zone looks, so you can audible straight into a zone beater from the Shotgun core instead of relying on hot routes to manufacture one.
Motion and Block and Release concepts let you diagnose man versus zone pre snap and get a tight end or back into the flat late, which pairs well with plays like 494 F Flat when a linebacker is stuck on a running back in man.
Personnel range is wide for a gun centric book: 10, 11, 12, 20, 21, 13 and 23 are all available, so formation subs can force a defense into base or nickel mismatches without you switching away from your core concepts.
Pistol (63 plays) and Singleback (75 plays) give a legitimate play action and inside run layer, with 26 Duo and 0 1 Trap style runs setting up boots and deep shots once the defense sits on your quick game.

Weaknesses

Two thirds of the book is Shotgun, so a defender who sees a gun formation can safely lean pass, sit in a light box and bring nano blitz pressure without much fear of a punishing run game.
Under center power is thin: I Form (27 plays), Strong I (21 plays) and Goal Line Offense (12 plays) combine for only about 10% of the book, so short yardage and four minute situations draw from a small pool that opponents can learn quickly.
The single Strong I set and single Goal Line Offense set mean your heavy downhill looks come from one alignment each, making them easy to scout and stack against in the red zone.
At 594 plays the book is smaller than most offensive team playbooks, so outside the Shotgun core you have less variety to break tendencies over a long franchise season or a multi game series against the same opponent.
Concept coverage leans toward horizontal and intermediate routes (Drag, Crosser, Flat, Slant, Hitch), so beating a two deep shell vertically often requires hot routing or leaning on Post concepts rather than a wide menu of built in deep shots.

Usage Tips

Build your base audible package around three or four Shotgun sets that cover 11 and 10 personnel, keeping a Drag or Crosser man beater, a Cover 3 Beater, a Slant or Hitch quick game call and a Shotgun run; this handles most first and second down situations and all of third and medium.

On first and 10, reach for Singleback or Pistol so defenses cannot sit in dime; use 26 Duo to establish the inside run, then go to play action from the same formation on the next first down to attack linebackers who crept up.

On third and 1 to 3 or fourth and short, switch to Strong I or I Form for downhill runs like FB Dive, and save Goal Line Offense strictly for inside the 3; because these packages are small, alternate between them so the opponent does not see the same set twice in a row.

Use motion on your Shotgun Block and Release and Flat concepts to read coverage pre snap: if a defender follows the motion, audible to a Crosser or Drag man beater; if the defense shifts without following, stay with the zone beater.

In two minute drill, live in Shotgun for tempo and quick sideline throws, and keep a Hail Mary call such as Goal Post in your pocket for the final snap of the half or game.