Playbooks
Landingzone Heavy Kick Return loads extra blockers into the front wall to create a heavy-numbers wedge up the middle before the return lane bends toward the sideline. This is a run-based special teams play, not a pass concept, so there is no man or zone beater terminology involved, instead the blocking scheme relies on double teams at the point of the kick to spring the return man. The primary read progression for the return man is to key the wedge blockers first, look for the initial crease inside the numbers, then bend outside if the middle gets clogged by hustling coverage defenders.
Watch for kickoff coverage teams that sprint straight down the middle lanes, since this heavy wedge is designed to swallow those defenders at the point of attack. Key the outside gunners first, if they crash down early the return should bend to the sideline where the wedge cannot reach. Look for a kicking team squibbing or angling the kick away from the heavy personnel, which forces the return man to adjust his path on the fly. Track the second level of coverage defenders who avoid the wedge blockers and take outside angles, since they are the most likely tacklers if the middle lane closes. Recognize when the kicking team stacks extra speed defenders on one side, since that alignment signals where your wedge needs to shift to protect the crease.
Call this play when you need a heavier blocking surface against kicking teams that load up gunners on the outside lanes.
Pre-snap, identify how many defenders the kicking team has spread to each side and lean your return path away from the heavier side.
Use manual control on your return man to press the wedge blockers and wait for the crease instead of committing to a lane too early.
Mix this play with Landingzone Heavy Return Left and Landingzone Heavy Return Right so opposing coverage teams cannot sit on one blocking angle.
Save this call for situations where field position matters most, such as after a defensive stop when you need a short field to set up your offense.